Tag: cuckoo bee
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Calliopsis cuckoo nomad bee (Holcopasites calliopsidis)
Apidae > Holcopasites > Holcopasites calliopsidis The best way to find calliopsis-cuckoo nomad (Holcopasites calliopsidis) is to find a nesting aggregation of its panurgine host Calliopsis andreniformis. Even then, you will have to look carefully because this tiny, wasp-like bee is easily overlooked. With sharp eyes, look for a red, gnat-like insect hovering low over…
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Sphecodes
Sphecodes are a group of diverse and enigmatic cleptoparasites. Members of this genus are thought to predominately parasitize nests of other ground or wood-nesting bees, mainly Lasioglossum, but also Halictus, Agapostemon, Augochlorella, Andrena, Perdita, and Calliopsis. Deciphering the host associations of Sphecodes can be quite a challenge because their phenology does not always mirror that…
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Painted dark bee (Stelis louisae)
Megachilidae > Stelis > Stelis louisae Louisiana painted-dark bee (S. louisae) is a colorful and distinctive member of an otherwise rare and poorly understood group of megachilid cuckoos. S. louisae is thought to predominately parasitize nests of megachilids that line their nests with tree resin: Megachile campanulae in New England and M. exilis in mid-Atlantic…
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Coelioxys dolichos
Megachilidae > Coelioxys > Coelioxys dolichos Coelioxys dolichos is a big, distinctive sharptail of the southern US. Oddly enough, this cuckoo bee looks a bit like its host Megachile xylocopoides—glossy dark all over with purplish wings held out at an angle. C. dolichos just creeps into the northeast region in Maryland and southern New Jersey,…
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Lunate longhorn-cuckoo bee (Triepeolus lunatus)
Apidae > Triepeolus > Triepeolus lunatus Lunate longhorn-cuckoo (Triepeolus lunatus) is a distinctive cuckoo bee of agricultural fields, gardens, and cities. It is active in summer, well-timed to co-occur with its presumed eucerine host Melissodes bimaculatus. T. lunatus has a preference for nectar from summer-blooming Asteraceae in the garden like black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia) and coneflowers…
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Squash longhorn-cuckoo bee (Triepeolus remigatus)
Apidae > Triepeolus > Triepeolus remigatus Squash longhorn-cuckoo (Triepeolus remigatus) is never far from its squash bee hosts Peponapis pruinosa and Xenoglossa strenua. This Triepeolus has a distinctive “anchor” pattern on its thorax, and has a preference for nectar from summer-blooming Asteraceae in the garden and agricultural fields; rarely, if ever, do they visit squash…
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Nomada
Nomada are red, black, and yellow wasp-like bees, most of which are cleptoparasites of mining bees Andrena. As cleptoparasites, Nomada are tied to their hosts, and so most species occur in spring when Andrena diversity is at its peak. You are likely to encounter Nomada nectaring on flowers in your garden, hovering in warm, sunny…
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Coelioxys
Coelioxys are nest parasites of Megachile and, like their hosts, can be found in a variety of fairly open habitats from late spring through fall. Some of the dozen or so species found in our area are common garden bees, while a few are exceedingly rare. Female Coelioxys use their pointed abdomens to slice open…
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Stelis
Stelis is a genus of megachilid cleptoparasites, laying eggs in the nests of Megachile, Osmia, Hoplitis, Heriades, and Trachusa. They are stocky but elongate, evenly wide down the length of their bodies, and often with relatively sparse hairs. With the exception of one relatively widespread species, Stelis are generally not often encountered. Stelis are shaped…