ReNature LdnFrom Russell:
Flavous Nomad Bee (Nomada flava)
A cuckoo bee that exploits Chocolate Mining Bees (photo 4) by laying its eggs in their nests. The Nomad larvae kills the host egg and then feeds on its pollen store.
LionelBWell, I was fooled. The predator was a wasp mimic but a bee, Nomada flava. In flight, the primrose and chestnut brown bands somehow merge into a luminous orange.
They were out in force today.
krejgoWe're pretty excited to have spotted a native bee that we've never spotted on the block before - and has never been reported as being seen anywhere in the Dee Ranges before!
Let me introduce the Neon Cloak & Dagger cuckoo bee.
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/418305-Thyreus-nitidulus
#thyrsusNitidulus #bees #nativebees #cuckooBees #australianNativeBees
cc: @Cheeseness
Neon Cloak-and-dagger Bee (Thyreus nitidulus)
Thyreus nitidulus, commonly known as the neon cuckoo bee, is a parasitic bee of the genus Thyreus, called cuckoo bees. It is a stocky bee, notable for its brilliant metallic blue- and black-banded colors. (Source: Wikipedia, '', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyreus_nitidulus, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) deemc, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC))