Small Scissor Bee vs Tinkerbell Fairyfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Small Scissor Bee Tinkerbell Fairyfly
Scientific Name Chelostoma florisomne Tinkerbella nana
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Megachilidae Mymaridae
Size 7-10 mm 0.25 mm
Habitat Woodlands Underground
Diet Wood Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Europe Central America
Conservation Least Concern Data Deficient

Small Scissor Bee

A slender black solitary bee that nests in beetle borings in dead wood. It is a specialist pollinator of buttercups.

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Did You Know?

Males often sleep inside buttercup flowers at night, clinging to the petals as they close.

Tinkerbell Fairyfly

One of the smallest insects ever described, named after Peter Pans Tinker Bell. Discovered in Costa Rica in 2013. Measures only 0.25 mm in length.

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Did You Know?

Named after the fairy Tinkerbell, this wasp is so tiny it can stand on the tip of a human hair — it was described in 2013 from specimens collected using specialized micro-traps.