Sabre Wasp vs Dark Western Drywood Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sabre Wasp Dark Western Drywood Termite
Scientific Name Rhyssa persuasoria Incisitermes fruticavus
Order Hymenoptera Blattodea
Family Ichneumonidae Kalotermitidae
Size 25-40 mm body length Workers 5-7 mm, soldiers 6-8 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia Southwestern United States, Sonoran Desert
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Sabre Wasp

The largest European ichneumon wasp, recognized by its black-and-white banded body. It parasitizes the larvae of wood wasps within conifer trunks.

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Did You Know?

She can detect a wood wasp larva through several centimeters of solid timber using her antennae.

Dark Western Drywood Termite

A drywood termite found in arid regions of the southwestern United States. It infests dead wood in desert trees and shrubs.

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Did You Know?

It commonly infests dead wood of palo verde trees and mesquite in the Sonoran Desert.