Posts Tagged: cuckoo bee

Image by UC Davis Alumnus Ian Wright Appears in ESA World Calendar

The 2022 Entomological Society of America's World of Insects Calendar is filled with amazing...

In this award-winning image, a cuckoo bee, Nomada sp.(left), and an Anthophora bee share honey on a twig. The work of Ian Wright, it was selected as a September (inset) image in the ESA's World of Insects calendar. (Copyrighted Photo by Ian Wright)

In this award-winning image, a cuckoo bee, Nomada sp.(left), and an Anthophora bee share honey on a twig. The work of Ian Wright, it was selected as a September (inset) image in the ESA's World of Insects calendar. (Copyrighted Photo by Ian Wright)

Ian Wright, a UC Davis alumnus and a research specialist at UC Riverside, is shown here with some of his winged specimens.

Ian Wright, a UC Davis alumnus and a research specialist at UC Riverside, is shown here with some of his winged specimens.

Covers of some of the ESA calendars, from 2017 to 2022.

Covers of some of the ESA calendars, from 2017 to 2022.

Ever Seen a Cuckoo Bee?

Ever seen a cuckoo bee? They're also called parasitic bees or "kleptoparasites" or...

A cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, rests on a leaf in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, rests on a leaf in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Dorsal view of the cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, in a Vacaville pollinator garden. It flew just after this image was made. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Dorsal view of the cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, in a Vacaville pollinator garden. It flew just after this image was made. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, sipping some nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, sipping some nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, sharing African blue basil blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, sharing African blue basil blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Sneaky Cuckoo Bee

You could call it a slacker, a deadbeat, a moocher, a sponger, or a loafer. Or you could call it a...

A cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, sips nectar from a tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, sips nectar from a tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, on a tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, on a tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A digger bee, Anthophora urbana, sips nectar from lavender. The cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, is a parasite of Anthophora. It lays eggs in the host's nest, resulting in death of the host's offspring. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A digger bee, Anthophora urbana, sips nectar from lavender. The cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta californica, is a parasite of Anthophora. It lays eggs in the host's nest, resulting in death of the host's offspring. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Why This Is Bee Is Cuckoo

When you visit the half-acre Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven,  a bee friendly garden on Bee...

A male cuckoo bee, Triepeolus concavus, on a blanket flower (Gaillardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male cuckoo bee, Triepeolus concavus, on a blanket flower (Gaillardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male cuckoo bee sipping nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male cuckoo bee sipping nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Seeing Red

It’s triple-digit hot and you’re relaxing in a swimming pool when suddenly you realize you have...

Sweat bee

THIS GNAT-SIZED insect with a red abdomen is a female cuckoo sweat bee from the genus Sphecodes. Fished out of a swimming pool, it is crawling around on a net. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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