Pantaloon Bee vs Woolly Alder Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pantaloon Bee Woolly Alder Sawfly
Scientific Name Dasypoda hirtipes Eriocampa ovata
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Melittidae Tenthredinidae
Size 12-15 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Rivers & Streams
Diet Pollen Feeders Herbivores
Regions Europe Europe, introduced to North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Pantaloon Bee

A distinctive solitary bee where females have enormously long pollen-collecting hairs on their hind legs. It digs deep burrows in sandy soil.

💡

Did You Know?

Its leg hairs can hold so much pollen that the loaded scopae are wider than the bee's entire body.

Woolly Alder Sawfly

A small, dark sawfly whose larvae are covered in a white, woolly, waxy secretion. The larvae feed on the underside of alder leaves.

💡

Did You Know?

The white waxy covering on the larva closely resembles woolly aphids, a possible case of defensive mimicry.