Western Bumble Bee vs Golden Pergid Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Bumble Bee Golden Pergid Sawfly
Scientific Name Bombus occidentalis Perga gravenhorstii
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Pergidae
Size 10-22 mm 14-22 mm
Habitat Mountains Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions Western North America Australia
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

Western Bumble Bee

A once-common bumble bee of western North America that has experienced dramatic population declines since the late 1990s. They nest underground in abandoned rodent burrows.

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Did You Know?

Their catastrophic decline is linked to a pathogen accidentally spread through commercial bumble bee rearing facilities.

Golden Pergid Sawfly

A large Australian sawfly with distinctive golden-orange coloring and dark wing venation. Larvae are gregarious spitfires on eucalyptus.

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Did You Know?

Female Perga sawflies show an unusual degree of parental care, standing guard over their egg masses for days to protect them from parasitoids.