Large Square-headed Wasp vs Desert Globe Mallow Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Large Square-headed Wasp Desert Globe Mallow Bee
Scientific Name Ectemnius cephalotes Diadasia diminuta
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Crabronidae Apidae
Size 12-18 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Woodlands Heathland
Diet Wood Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Large Square-headed Wasp

A large solitary wasp that nests in dead wood and provisions its nest with captured flies. Has a distinctively large, square-shaped head. Common in gardens and woodland.

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Did You Know?

Nests in old beetle holes in dead wood, stocking each cell with paralyzed flies for its developing larvae.

Desert Globe Mallow Bee

A specialist solitary bee that visits only globe mallow flowers in the American Southwest. It lines its underground nest cells with an oily secretion to waterproof them.

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Did You Know?

Its extreme flower loyalty makes it one of the most efficient pollinators of globe mallow plants.