Posts Tagged: Xeromelecta californica

Ever Seen a Cuckoo Bee?

Ever seen a cuckoo bee? They're also called parasitic bees or "kleptoparasites" or "cleptoparasitises." They cannot carry pollen (no...

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 cuckoo bee. Take the cuckoo bee, Xeromelecta...

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)

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