Yellow-legged Hornet vs Deer Ked

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yellow-legged Hornet Deer Ked
Scientific Name Vespa velutina Lipoptena cervi
Order Hymenoptera Diptera
Family Vespidae Hippoboscidae
Size 20-30 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Predators Blood Feeders
Regions East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe Europe, Asia, introduced to North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

Deer Ked

A flattened, reddish-brown blood-sucking fly that sheds its wings upon finding a deer host. It clings tenaciously to the hair with strong claws and feeds on blood throughout its life.

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Did You Know?

After landing on a host, it breaks off its own wings permanently, spending the rest of its life as a wingless ectoparasite.