Yellow-faced Bee vs American Cuckoo Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yellow-faced Bee American Cuckoo Wasp
Scientific Name Hylaeus communis Chrysis angolensis
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Colletidae Chrysididae
Size 5-7 mm 7-12 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Pollen Feeders Parasites
Regions Europe Sub-Saharan Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Yellow-faced Bee

A tiny, nearly hairless black bee with distinctive yellow facial markings. It swallows pollen and carries it internally in its crop.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most bees, it carries pollen internally in its stomach rather than on external body hairs.

American Cuckoo Wasp

A metallic green and blue cuckoo wasp found across sub-Saharan Africa. It parasitizes mud-nesting wasps and bees on rocky outcrops and buildings.

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Did You Know?

Despite its species name referencing Angola, it is found throughout most of tropical and southern Africa.