Cuckoo Bee - Female Nomada hirtipes, resting on a leaf.

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Cuckoo bees are so called because they lay their eggs in the burrows of mining bees; typically Andrena species. Nomada hirtipes is a specialist parasite of Andrena bucepala. Also called cleptoparasites (kleptoparasites) because they "steal" other bee's nests.

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Size: 5200px × 3467px
Location: Warwickshire, UK
Photo credit: © Edward Phillips / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: aculeata, aculeate, bee, bug, cleptoparasite, close, close-, closeup, cuckoo, entomology, female, hirtipes, hymenoptera, insect, kleptoparasite, macro, nature, nomad, nomada, parasite, rest, solitary, striped, testing