Teddy Bear Bee vs Gypsy Moth Parasite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Teddy Bear Bee Gypsy Moth Parasite
Scientific Name Amegilla bombiformis Cotesia melanoscela
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Braconidae
Size 15-20 mm 2-4 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Australia, Oceania Europe, Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Teddy Bear Bee

A plump, densely furred native Australian bee that closely resembles a bumblebee. Despite its cuddly appearance, it is a solitary bee that nests in burrows in soft sandstone or clay banks.

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Did You Know?

It uses buzz pollination, vibrating its flight muscles at a specific frequency to shake pollen from flowers that other bees cannot access.

Gypsy Moth Parasite

A small braconid introduced to North America to control the invasive gypsy moth. It attacks early-instar caterpillars and larvae emerge to pupate externally.

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Did You Know?

It was one of the first parasitoid wasps deliberately imported to North America for classical biological control in the early 1900s.