Resin Bee vs Ichneumon Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Resin Bee Ichneumon Wasp
Scientific Name Megachile campanulae Megarhyssa macrurus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Megachilidae Ichneumonidae
Size 10-14 mm 25-50 mm body plus 100+ mm ovipositor
Habitat Underground Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasitoids
Regions North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Resin Bee

A solitary bee that collects plant resins and sap to construct its brood cells.

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Did You Know?

It builds cell partitions from plant resin mixed with tiny pebbles.

Ichneumon Wasp

A large parasitoid wasp with an extremely long, thread-like ovipositor that can exceed the length of its body. Females drill through solid wood to reach their host larvae deep inside.

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Did You Know?

The female can somehow detect horntail larvae vibrations through several centimeters of solid wood and then drill her flexible ovipositor to reach them with remarkable accuracy.