Spotted-eye Hover Fly vs European Beewolf

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spotted-eye Hover Fly European Beewolf
Scientific Name Eristalinus taeniops Philanthus triangulum
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Syrphidae Crabronidae
Size 12-16 mm 12-18 mm
Habitat Wetlands Beaches & Coastal
Diet Nectar Feeders Predators
Regions Throughout Africa Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Spotted-eye Hover Fly

A large hover fly with distinctively striped compound eyes and a bee-like body. It is an excellent pollinator found throughout Africa.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae are rat-tailed maggots that breathe through a telescoping siphon while living in stagnant water.

European Beewolf

A large, striking yellow-and-black solitary wasp that specialises in hunting honeybees. Females paralyse bees in flight and carry them back to sandy burrow nests.

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Did You Know?

Females embalm their honeybee prey with an antifungal secretion to keep it fresh for their larvae.