Bumble Bee Snail (Engina mendicaria)
Bumble Bee Snail (Engina mendicaria)
Bumble bee snails hunt below the surface, tilling through the sand bed after dark in search of pest snails, worms, and anything else small enough to overpower — a genuine predator wearing a shell that just happens to look like candy. The black-and-yellow banding is a coincidence of pigment, not a warning signal; nothing about this snail is venomous, it’s just built like a tiny, hardworking excavator.
Care level: Easy · Temperament: Peaceful · Max size: ~0.5" · Min tank: 10 gal · Reef safe: Yes · Diet: Omnivore, scavenger + pest snails
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Engina mendicaria
- Common name
- Bumble Bee Snail
- Water type
- Saltwater
- Care level
- Easy
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Max size
- ~0.5"
- Minimum tank
- 10 gal
- Diet
- Omnivore, scavenger + pest snails
- Reef safe
- Yes
When it ships
Most non-quarantined stock goes out the week you order. If we do not already have the animal in-house we source it first — allow up to two weeks for it to reach us. Live animals leave Monday and Tuesday, and Early AM Overnight is the only service that carries a live arrival guarantee.
The live guarantee
Shipped Early AM Overnight: a 1-hour DOA window from confirmed delivery, and nothing beyond it. Next Day Air and 2-Day carry no live arrival guarantee, and neither does USPS Priority. Local pickup or local delivery: 24 hours, if you bring a water sample from your aquarium and we test it before the animal goes home. Maintenance clients: 60 days when we service the aquarium at least twice a month, 28 days on a monthly plan.
Expert guidance
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