Best Cuckoo Bee

Bombus variabilis is a rare North American cuckoo bumblebee notable for its heavily declining populations and its total reproductive dependence on other bumblebee colonies.

Thyreus caeruleopunctatus is an Australian blue-spotted cuckoo bee, notable as a brood parasite of solitary Amegilla bees rather than a nest builder.

The neon cuckoo bee, Thyreus nitidulus, is an Australian bee in the family Apidae, formally described in 1787. Its black body bears conspicuous patches of bright blue hair, producing the spotted appearance reflected in its common name. It is a cleptoparasite: females enter nests made by blue-banded...

Bombus variabilis, the variable cuckoo bumblebee, is a North American social parasite that invades the colonies of other bumblebee species rather than forming its own.

Bombus suckleyi, Suckley's cuckoo bumblebee, is a North American social parasite that specifically targets the resource-rich nests of orange-belted bumblebees in the western US.

Gooden's nomad bee (Nomada goodeniana) is a European cuckoo bee notable for its distinctive black and yellow wasp-like appearance and its parasitic relationship with mining bees.

Bombus rupestris is a large cuckoo bumblebee found across Europe, notable as an obligate social parasite that invades the established nests of the red-tailed bumblebee species.

Nomada fucata is a Palearctic cuckoo bee described by Panzer in 1798, notable for laying its eggs in the nests of other solitary bees instead of provisioning cells.

Nomada rufipes, known as the fringed nomad bee, is a Palearctic cleptoparasite distinctive for its red and black abdomen, specifically targeting the nests of heather mining bees.

Nomada fucata, the painted nomad bee, is a Palearctic cuckoo bee species that targets mining bees of the Andrena genus, invading their burrows to lay eggs and steal pollen provisions.

Bombus vestalis, commonly called the vestal cuckoo bumblebee, is a European parasitic bumblebee described by Étienne Louis Geoffroy in Fourcroy's 1785 work. Instead of founding and provisioning its own colony, a female enters the nest of another bumblebee, chiefly the buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus t...

Coelioxys inermis is a Palearctic sharp-tailed cuckoo bee described by Kirby in 1802, notable for developing as a brood parasite in leafcutter-bee nests.

The Cuckoo Sweat Bee is a cleptoparasitic insect native to Europe that lacks pollen-collecting structures and is notable for laying its eggs inside the nests of other bees.

Bombus bohemicus, commonly known as the gypsy cuckoo bumblebee, is a parasitic insect native to Eurasia. First described by Seidl in 1837, this species does not build its own nests or collect pollen. Instead, a fertile female usurps the established colony of a host bumblebee species, typically killi...

Bombus campestris, the field cuckoo bumblebee, is a widespread Eurasian insect distinguished by its parasitic lifestyle, laying its eggs in the nests of other bumblebee species.

Coelioxys octodentata is a Palearctic cuckoo bee distinguished by its sharp, spiny abdomen, which it uses to infiltrate and parasitize the nests of megachilid bees.

Bombus sylvestris, known as the forest cuckoo bumblebee, is a parasitic species native to Europe and Asia that specifically targets the established nests of early-nesting bees.

Triepeolus concavus is a cuckoo bee native to North America that is notable for being a kleptoparasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other solitary bees.

Coelioxys rufitarsis is a solitary cuckoo bee found in North America, notable because it lacks pollen-collecting structures and parasitizes leafcutter bee nests.

Bombus insularis, the indiscriminate cuckoo bumblebee, is a North American parasite notable for its broad host range, invading the colonies of numerous other bumblebee species.

Bombus citrinus, the lemon cuckoo bumblebee, is a North American species recognized by its bright yellow thorax and its parasitic behavior of usurping ground-nesting bee colonies.

Stelis phaeoptera is a cuckoo bee found throughout Europe, distinguished by its parasitic lifecycle where it invades the established nests of mason bees.

Epeolus cruciger, described in 1798, is a parasitic cuckoo bee known for the distinctive cross-shaped markings on its thorax and its reliance on Colletes bee nests.

The Mormon metalmark nomad bee (Nomada mormon) is a North American cuckoo bee that lacks pollen-collecting structures, notable for laying its eggs in the nests of other solitary bees.

Described in 1758, Epeolus variegatus is a cuckoo bee species that targets plasterer bees (Colletes), distinguished by its variegated black and white abdominal bands.

Triepeolus remigatus, classified in 1804, is a North American cleptoparasitic bee noted for its striking maculated patterns and its specialization on host bees.

Coelioxys conoidea is a solitary bee native to Eurasia, notable as a kleptoparasite because females lay their eggs in the active nests of leafcutter bees to feed on their pollen.

Coelioxys rufescens is a solitary cuckoo bee found across Eurasia, notable for its parasitic breeding strategy of laying eggs in the provisioned nests of other leafcutter bees.

Stelis punctulatissima is a dark solitary bee native to Europe, notable for its cleptoparasitic lifestyle of laying eggs in the provisioned nests of other cavity-nesting bees.