NMI Collections NH:1985.115
Gypsy Cuckoo Bee
Gypsy cuckoo bee. NMI Collections NH:1985.115
Gypsy cuckoo bee. NMI Collections NH:1985.115
Gypsy Cuckoo Bee
(Bombus bohemicus)
The Gypsy Cuckoo Bee can be found all across Ireland.
It invades the nests of White-Tailed Bumblebees (Bombus lucorum), which is one of our most common Bumblebee species.
The Cuckoo Bees
Cuckoo Bees do not build their own nests, and they do not produce workers to help raise their young. Instead, female Cuckoo Bees invade the nests of Bumblebees and kill the true queen. The confused workers then mistake the invading Cuckoo Bee as the queen (i.e. their mother) and are tricked into raising the Cuckoo Bee’s offspring as if they were their own sisters.
Cuckoo Bees visit flowers to drink nectar but they do not collect pollen. There are only 28 species of Cuckoo Bee on Earth, including six that live in Ireland.