The Common Aardbee

The hommelhiëna lives in subtropical climates. Its common English name, “the Aardbee,” refers to its resemblance to a bumblebee with an aardwolf's head and tail. These omnivorous creatures are night-pollinators crucial to the growth of night-blooming flowers such as dama de noche. Hommelhiënas also eat aphids and other pests.

Their tongues can reach up to 30mm long, almost the same length as their bodies, which are covered in fuzzy hairs that help it sense its surroundings. Hommelhiënas live in colonies burrowed deep underground. All buzz and no bite, they possess neither teeth nor stinger, posing no human threat.