Yellow False Blister Beetle vs European Oil Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yellow False Blister Beetle European Oil Bee
Scientific Name Oedemera flavipes Macropis europaea
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Oedemeridae Melittidae
Size 7-10 mm 9-12 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Rivers & Streams
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

Yellow False Blister Beetle

A slender yellowish-brown oedemerid beetle found across Europe. It is a frequent visitor to umbelliferous flowers in late spring.

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Did You Know?

Like all oedemerids, its larvae contain trace amounts of cantharidin, a potent blistering agent.

European Oil Bee

One of only two Northern Hemisphere bees that collect floral oils instead of nectar as a food provision. It collects oils from yellow loosestrife flowers.

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Did You Know?

It mixes collected floral oil with pollen to create a waterproof, long-lasting larval food that resists mold in its damp underground nests.