Tsetse Fly vs Two-coloured Mason Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tsetse Fly Two-coloured Mason Bee
Scientific Name Glossina morsitans Osmia bicolor
Order Diptera Hymenoptera
Family Glossinidae Megachilidae
Size 8-17 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Blood Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Africa Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tsetse Fly

Vector of African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis). Unlike most flies, females give live birth to a single large larva. Both sexes are obligate blood-feeders.

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Did You Know?

The tsetse fly is unique among insects — it gives birth to live young. The female nourishes a single larva internally with a milk-like substance, similar to mammalian lactation.

Two-coloured Mason Bee

A distinctive bee with a black head and thorax and bright orange abdominal hair. It uniquely nests inside empty snail shells on chalk grasslands.

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Did You Know?

After filling a snail shell with pollen and eggs, the female camouflages it by piling grass and plant stems over it.