Wasp Beetle vs Cottony Cushion Scale
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Wasp Beetle | Cottony Cushion Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Clytus arietis | Icerya purchasi |
| Order | Coleoptera | Hemiptera |
| Family | Cerambycidae | Monophlebidae |
| Size | 7-14 mm | 5-8 mm including egg sac |
| Habitat | Underground | Orchards |
| Diet | Wood Feeders | Wood Feeders |
| Regions | Europe | Originally Australia, now cosmopolitan |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Wasp Beetle
A longhorn beetle with yellow and black banding that mimics a common wasp. It even moves in a jerky, wasp-like manner.
Did You Know?
It is completely harmless but its convincing wasp mimicry deters most predators.
Cottony Cushion Scale
A scale insect with a distinctive white fluted egg sac that devastated California's citrus industry in the 1880s. Its control by vedalia beetles was the first major success of biological pest control.
Did You Know?
The introduction of vedalia ladybirds to control it in 1889 saved the California citrus industry from collapse.