Wood-carving Leafcutter Bee vs Fairy Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wood-carving Leafcutter Bee Fairy Wasp
Scientific Name Megachile ligniseca Kikiki huna
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Megachilidae Mymaridae
Size 13-16 mm 0.13-0.18 mm
Habitat Woodlands Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Europe, Western Asia North America, Oceania
Conservation Near Threatened Data Deficient

Wood-carving Leafcutter Bee

A large, dark leafcutter bee that nests in rotten wood and dead tree stumps across Europe. Females cut large leaf pieces from roses, birch, and willows.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most leafcutter bees that use pre-existing holes, it chews its own nest cavities directly into soft rotten wood.

Fairy Wasp

One of the smallest known insects in the world at just 0.15 millimeters long.

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Did You Know?

It is smaller than some single-celled protozoans.