Western Bumble Bee vs South American Grain Stem Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Bumble Bee South American Grain Stem Sawfly
Scientific Name Bombus occidentalis Cephus fumipennis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Cephidae
Size 10-22 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Mountains Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions Western North America Europe, Central Asia
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.

South American Grain Stem Sawfly

A slender black stem sawfly with smoky wings and yellow abdominal bands. It attacks cereal grain stems in parts of Europe and Asia.

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Did You Know?

Like other cephid stem borers, the larva constructs a silken cocoon inside the hollowed-out stem base where it overwinters before pupating in spring.