Locust Borer vs Hawaiian Easy Yellow-faced Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Locust Borer Hawaiian Easy Yellow-faced Bee
Scientific Name Megacyllene robiniae Hylaeus facilis
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Cerambycidae Colletidae
Size 14-22 mm 6-9 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Pollen Feeders Pollen Feeders
Regions Eastern and Central North America Oceania (Hawaii)
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Locust Borer

A striking yellow-and-black wasp mimic that attacks black locust trees in North America. Adults appear in autumn and are commonly found on goldenrod flowers. Larval boring weakens locust trunks and can cause breakage.

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Did You Know?

Adults synchronize their emergence with goldenrod bloom, making autumn fields their primary mating arenas.

Hawaiian Easy Yellow-faced Bee

An endemic Hawaiian bee found across several of the main Hawaiian islands. It is a generalist pollinator that visits a variety of native and non-native flowers. Like other Hawaiian Hylaeus, it carries pollen internally in its crop rather than on external body hairs.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most bees, Hawaiian yellow-faced bees swallow pollen and carry it in their crop, regurgitating it to provision their nest cells.