Sirex Woodwasp vs Executioner Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sirex Woodwasp Executioner Wasp
Scientific Name Sirex noctilio Polistes carnifex
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Siricidae Vespidae
Size 15-36 mm 25-35 mm
Habitat Farmland Grasslands
Diet Fungus Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Africa, Australasia, South America Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sirex Woodwasp

A large blue-black woodwasp that bores into pine trees to lay eggs. It injects a symbiotic fungus into the wood that feeds its developing larvae.

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Did You Know?

Females carry a special fungus in abdominal glands and inoculate trees during egg-laying.

Executioner Wasp

The largest Neotropical paper wasp, with a sting that produces immediate searing pain and potentially causes tissue necrosis. It builds open comb nests.

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Did You Know?

Some entomologists consider its sting more painful than the bullet ant, placing it among the most painful in the insect world.