Painted Dark Sweat Bee vs Lunar Ichneumon Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Painted Dark Sweat Bee Lunar Ichneumon Wasp
Scientific Name Lasioglossum pictum Megarhyssa lunator
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Halictidae Ichneumonidae
Size 6-7 mm 30-50 mm body, ovipositor up to 130 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Western Europe Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Painted Dark Sweat Bee

A small dark furrow bee with fine punctation on its thorax found in western Europe. It nests in sparsely vegetated ground and visits a range of open flowers.

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Did You Know?

It is so small and nondescript that it can only be reliably identified from other Lasioglossum species under a microscope.

Lunar Ichneumon Wasp

A striking ichneumon with a yellow and brown banded body. It parasitizes pigeon tremex horntail larvae inside hardwood trees.

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Did You Know?

Its ovipositor is the longest relative to body size of any insect in North America.