White-tailed Bumblebee vs Yellow-legged Hornet

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute White-tailed Bumblebee Yellow-legged Hornet
Scientific Name Bombus lucorum Vespa velutina
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Vespidae
Size 11-20mm 20-30 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Predators
Regions Europe, Asia East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

White-tailed Bumblebee

A common bumblebee with two yellow bands and a white tail. Part of a complex of similar-looking species.

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Did You Know?

Actually comprises three nearly identical species only reliably separated by DNA analysis or chemical signatures.

Yellow-legged Hornet

An invasive Asian hornet with a dark body and yellow leg tips now spreading rapidly across Europe. It is a major predator of honeybees near hive entrances.

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Did You Know?

Since arriving in France in 2004 in a shipment of pottery, it has spread to most of Western Europe.