Tree Bumblebee vs Arctic Aphid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tree Bumblebee Arctic Aphid
Scientific Name Bombus hypnorum Acyrthosiphon svalbardicum
Order Hymenoptera Hemiptera
Family Apidae Aphididae
Size 11-18mm 1-3 mm
Habitat Woodlands Tundra & Arctic
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe, Asia Svalbard, Arctic Scandinavia, Greenland
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tree Bumblebee

A distinctive bumblebee with a brown thorax, black abdomen and white tail. Often nests in bird boxes.

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Did You Know?

A recent and rapid colonizer of Britain since 2001, frequently nesting in bird boxes and roof spaces.

Arctic Aphid

A small, pale green aphid that is one of the most northerly herbivorous insects on Earth. It feeds on the sap of Dryas octopetala and other Arctic plants. Populations are entirely parthenogenetic in the High Arctic.

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Did You Know?

This aphid reproduces entirely without mating in the Arctic, producing live young that are clones of the mother.