Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis
(aka Southern Cuckoo Bee)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England, April 2010 - click for larger image Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, England

The Vestal Cuckoo Bee is found in England and Wales but has recently started to move into Scotland. In the south of England it is by far the most commonly seen cuckoo bee.

Cuckoo bees parasitise social bumblebees by hi-jacking a nest and either killing or dominating the social bumblebee queen so that she lays no more eggs. The cuckoo bee queen then lays her eggs which are looked after by the social bumblebee workers. Cuckoo bees never produce workers only males and queens.
Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England, April 2010 - click for larger image The queen emerges from hibernation about six weeks after its host by which time a nest will have been established for it to parasitise. In the case of the Vestal Cuckoo Bee, its host is the Buff-tailed Bumblebee B. terrestris.

It looks similar to its host but lacks the yellow stripe on the abdomen which is shiny. The wings are also darker.
Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England, April 2010 - click for larger image There is more information available on ARKive.
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