Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee vs Twisted-Wing Delphacid Parasite
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee | Twisted-Wing Delphacid Parasite |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Bombus variabilis | Elenchus japonicus |
| Order | Hymenoptera | Strepsiptera |
| Family | Apidae | Elenchidae |
| Size | 15-22 mm | 1-3 mm (males) |
| Habitat | Grasslands | Farmland |
| Diet | Parasites | Parasites |
| Regions | Central and Eastern North America | East Asia, Japan, China, Southeast Asia |
| Conservation | Critically Endangered | Least Concern |
Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee
A rare social parasite bumble bee that takes over colonies of other Bombus species in North America. Queens invade host nests, kill the resident queen, and enslave her workers.
Did You Know?
It produces no workers of its own and depends entirely on the labor of its host species to raise its offspring.
Twisted-Wing Delphacid Parasite
A tiny parasitoid of rice planthoppers, important in Asian rice agroecosystems. Males are free-flying with twisted wings; females are grub-like endoparasites.
Did You Know?
As a natural enemy of rice planthoppers, this species plays a significant role in biological pest control in Asian rice farming.