Yellow-legged Mining Bee vs Encyrtus Scale Parasite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yellow-legged Mining Bee Encyrtus Scale Parasite
Scientific Name Andrena flavipes Encyrtus infelix
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Andrenidae Encyrtidae
Size 10-13 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Grasslands Gardens
Diet Pollen Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Europe, Asia, North Africa Mediterranean, North America, Australia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Yellow-legged Mining Bee

A widespread mining bee with distinctive yellow-orange pollen brushes on its hind legs. It produces two generations per year in warmer parts of its range.

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Did You Know?

Spring and summer generations can look so different in body size and hair color that they were once thought to be separate species.

Encyrtus Scale Parasite

A parasitoid wasp that attacks soft scale insects on citrus and ornamental trees. It was among the earliest parasitoids used in classical biological control programs.

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Did You Know?

Its introduction to California in the late 1800s was one of the pioneering successes of classical biological control.