Yellow Flower Wasp vs Executioner Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yellow Flower Wasp Executioner Wasp
Scientific Name Radumeris tasmaniensis Polistes carnifex
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scoliidae Vespidae
Size 25-40 mm 25-35 mm
Habitat Gardens Grasslands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Australia, Oceania Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Yellow Flower Wasp

A large, robust wasp with a bright yellow and black body commonly seen visiting flowers in Australian gardens. Females burrow into soil to parasitise beetle larvae, particularly Christmas beetle grubs.

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Did You Know?

Male yellow flower wasps are often seen carrying females during mating flights, sometimes visiting flowers while still coupled.

Executioner Wasp

The largest Neotropical paper wasp, with a sting that produces immediate searing pain and potentially causes tissue necrosis. It builds open comb nests.

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Did You Know?

Some entomologists consider its sting more painful than the bullet ant, placing it among the most painful in the insect world.