Southeast Asian Stingless Bee vs Red Velvet Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Southeast Asian Stingless Bee Red Velvet Ant
Scientific Name Heterotrigona itama Dasymutilla magnifica
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Mutillidae
Size 4-6 mm 12-20 mm
Habitat Orchards Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand Southwestern United States, Mexico
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Southeast Asian Stingless Bee

A popular managed stingless bee in Malaysia and Indonesia valued for its medicinal honey. They construct their nests in tree hollows and human-made hive boxes.

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Did You Know?

Their honey commands prices several times higher than regular honey due to its limited production and perceived health benefits.

Red Velvet Ant

A large, brilliantly red-haired velvet ant found in the arid regions of the American Southwest. Females are wingless and run rapidly across open ground.

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Did You Know?

Its exoskeleton is so tough that entomological pins often bend when researchers attempt to mount specimens.