Red-banded Netelia vs Apache Paper Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Red-banded Netelia Apache Paper Wasp
Scientific Name Netelia testacea Polistes apachus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Ichneumonidae Vespidae
Size 14-18 mm 18-25 mm
Habitat Underground Heathland
Diet Parasitoids Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia Southwestern United States and northern Mexico
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Red-banded Netelia

A slender orange-brown ichneumonid wasp active at night in summer. It is an ectoparasitoid of noctuid moth caterpillars.

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Did You Know?

Females glue their egg to the host caterpillar's skin so it cannot be dislodged.

Apache Paper Wasp

A large paper wasp of the American Southwest with yellow and reddish-brown coloring. It constructs open paper comb nests in sheltered locations like building overhangs.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the largest paper wasps in North America and is particularly common around desert homes and ranch buildings.