Sugarbag Bee vs Cypress Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sugarbag Bee Cypress Sawfly
Scientific Name Tetragonula carbonaria Monoctenus juniperi
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Diprionidae
Size 3-5 mm 6-8 mm
Habitat Woodlands Gardens
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions Eastern Australia Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sugarbag Bee

A tiny Australian stingless bee commonly kept in backyard hives for pollination and honey. They build distinctive spiral brood combs inside their nests.

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Did You Know?

Their honey, called sugarbag, has a distinctive tangy flavor and is prized for its purported medicinal properties.

Cypress Sawfly

A small sawfly with pectinate antennae in males whose green larvae feed on juniper and cypress foliage. Heavy infestations can discolor and thin ornamental junipers.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the few diprionid sawflies that feeds on cupressaceous conifers rather than the more typical pine or spruce hosts.