402:, seen in studies by Hoffer in 1889 and Kupper & Schwammberger in 1995. The female selects her host nest by assessing the stage of development within that nest. Since bumblebee workers are solely responsible for rearing the imposter brood, the female cuckoo bee must select her host nest very carefully. Usually, the female cuckoo bee searches for a nest that has a few worker bees present, most likely because it shows that the nest can take care of her young. However, she must also ensure that there are not too many worker bees in case she is detected, attacked, and possibly killed along with her eggs. Hence,
33:
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Cuckoo female bumblebees usually use their smell to locate a nest. They tend to infiltrate the nest and sting the existing queen to death before laying their eggs. However, the female cuckoo bee may sneak into the nest, hide in for a couple of days to ensure she smells like the nest, and then lay her
345:
lacks the ability to excrete wax, it is neither capable of producing eggs cells that enclose their eggs, nor does it have the capacity to create honey pots from which newly emerged broods may feed upon. However, this serves well in the defense of cuckoo bees, as there are no weak points between the
419:
Since cuckoo bumblebees do not need to supply resources to their young, they do not tend to forage as aggressively or industriously as worker and queen bumblebees. Before entering a nest, cuckoo bumblebees bees tend to behave similar to male bumblebees—drinking nectar until full and then resting
456:
females are incapable of rearing any worker bees. The cuckoo bee only lays females identical to herself. Moreover, these offspring are unable to complete worker bee tasks that social bumblebees undertake normally, such as producing wax cells and gathering pollen.
333:
The cuckoo bee has many physical differences from ordinary bumblebees. Cuckoo female bees do not have pollen baskets on their rear legs. Most cuckoo bumblebees also do not produce wax from between their abdominal segments, although there is evidence that the
273:
lays its eggs in another bumblebee's nest. This type of bee leaves their young to the workers of another nest for rearing, allowing cuckoo bumblebees to invest minimal energy and resources in their young while still keeping the survival of their young intact.
358:
to southern Italy, from Greece in the south to beyond the Arctic Circle in the north, and from
Ireland in the west to the easternmost part of Russia. They are found throughout Britain, but are absent in sections of eastern Scotland, the Scilly Isles, and
346:
abdominal segments of the cuckoo bee for other bees to pierce through using their stingers. Moreover, cuckoo bumblees are slightly less hairy, have shorter tongues, have more pointed abdomens, and contain much sturdier bodies than normal bees.
429:
eggs without detection. As a parasitic relationship, this does not bode well for the nest because the cuckoo larvae impostors steal resources from the nest and energy from the worker bees, while contributing nothing to the nest.
410:
and kill her. However, if the target nest is too underdeveloped, then the female Forest cuckoo bee will be unable to rear a large brood. Once she does find her target host nest, she sneaks into the nest to take over the colony.
832:
Kreuter K, Bunk E, Luckemeyer A, Twele R, Francke W, Ayasse M. How the social parasitic bumblebee Bombus bohemicus sneaks into power of reproduction. Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology, March 2012, Volume 66. Issue 3. pp
445:, which are pollen baskets found on bumblebees on the hind legs. However, the Forest cuckoo bee does eat pollen like regular social bumblebees because the pollen helps in ovary maturation in fertilized females.
518:
are also visited. When patrolling for young queens with which to mate, the males fly in circuits about 1 m above ground, marking objects with their pheromones to attract the queens. The bumblebee often visits
820:
Nash DR, Boomsma JJ (2008) Communication between hosts and social parasites. In: Hughes DP (ed) Sociobiology of communication: an interdisciplinary perspective. Oxford
University Press, USA, pp 55–79
811:
Sramkova A, Ayasse M (2009) Chemical ecology involved in invasion success of the cuckoo bumblebee
Psithyrus vestalis and in survival of workers of its host Bombus terrestris. Chemoecology 19:55–62
205:
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can be found in post-industrial, mineral extraction sites and spoil heaps, gardens, parks, woodlands, and deciduous forests, which is why they get their nickname of the forest cuckoo bumblebee.
406:
is faced with the duty to find an optimal nest under a time restriction. If the nest she enters is well developed, then there is a chance that the worker bees will attack the parasitic
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Zimma BO, Ayasse M, Tengö J, Ibarra F, Francke W (2004) The role of semiochemicals in the reproductive biology of parasitic bumblebees. Mitt dtsch Ges allg angew Ent 14:195–198
802:
KĂĽpper G, Schwammberger KH (1995) Social parasitism in bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae): observations of
Psithyrus sylvestris in Bombus pratorum nests. Apidologie 26:245–254
1066:
309:
This is a small bumblebee; the queen has a body length of 15 mm (0.59 in) and the male one of 14 mm (0.55 in). The head is round, and the
1120:
741:
LĂĽckemeyer A (2009) The role of chemical communication in the reproductive biology of bumblebees and cuckoo bumblebees. Dissertation, University of Ulm.
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484:, and presents the natural order of their existence. An alternative method to help bees is to ensure the bees have rich environments and habitats.
1040:
845:
Zimma BO, Ayasse M, Tengö J, Ibarra F, Schulz C, Francke W (2003) Do social parasitic bumblebees use chemical weapons? J Comp
Physiol 189:769–775
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is short. Its fur is black with a yellow collar and a white tail. Sometimes the bumblebee can have a few pale hairs on top of its head, its
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Females will come out of hibernation a few weeks after its host species comes out of hibernation. The target host species is almost always
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753:"New records of bumble bees from the Northwestern mountainous region of Greece (Hymenoptera, Apidae)"
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does not construct its own nest; rather, it usurps the nests of other bumblebees. Its major host is
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46:
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The forest cuckoo bumblebee can be found throughout most of Europe from the northern half of the
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325:. Those rarely found in northern Scotland have an abdomen that is yellow instead of white.
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390:, buttercup, sallow, bramble, lavender, and viper's bugloss, along with other specimens.
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cuckoo female bee cannot collect pollen for her nest because it lacks
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143:
123:
103:
860:
967:
864:
540:
636:"Bombus sylvestris (Lepeletier 1832) - Encyclopedia of Life"
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has evolved naturally alongside its target species, such as
696:. London, UK: HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 423–425.
251:, found in most of Europe and Russia. Its main hosts are
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Human intervention is not needed, and is not condoned.
779:
Benton, Ted (2006). "Chapter 9: The
British Species".
692:
Benton, Ted (2006). "Chapter 9: The
British Species".
289:. Specifically, the species falls under the family
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783:London, UK: HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 423-425.
551:, and others. The males, on the contrary, visits
382:) can be found foraging on white deadnettler,
293:, which further subdivides into the subfamily
1141:Taxa named by Amédée Louis Michel le Peletier
8:
861:
527:. The queen also feeds on flowers such as
321:(abdominal segment). The male is variably
55:
31:
20:
461:Interventionism of parasitic relationship
715:
713:
576:
687:
685:
683:
681:
679:
600:"Bombus sylvestris (Lepeletier, 1832)"
329:Cuckoo bee vs. queen/worker bumblebees
841:
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796:
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751:Anagnostopoulos, Ioannis Th. (2009).
647:
645:
7:
1007:1ab20cd9-1d78-4c50-a044-95b4fd9983e5
660:. Université de Mons. Archived from
1121:IUCN Red List least concern species
14:
80:
305:Description and identification
1:
656:Bombus (Psithyrus) sylvestris
1162:
1131:Insects described in 1832
269:. As a cuckoo bumblebee,
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213:
194:
187:
77:Scientific classification
75:
53:
44:
39:
30:
23:
350:Distribution and habitat
338:bumblebee secretes wax.
245:four-coloured cuckoo bee
378:The Forest cuckoo bee (
241:forest cuckoo bumblebee
278:Taxonomy and phylogeny
1146:Insects of the Arctic
1136:Hymenoptera of Europe
297:, and then the tribe
285:belongs to the order
1002:Fauna Europaea (new)
420:until hungry again.
223:Psithyrus sylvestris
721:"Cuckoo bumblebees"
658:(Lepeletier, 1832)"
622:"Cuckoo bumblebees"
567:, and many others.
47:Conservation status
587:(Lepeletier, 1832)
488:Ecological summary
247:, is a species of
180:B. sylvestris
1108:
1107:
1093:Open Tree of Life
919:Bombus_sylvestris
905:Bombus sylvestris
875:Bombus sylvestris
867:Taxon identifiers
585:Bombus sylvestris
498:Bombus sylvestris
454:Bombus sylvestris
439:Bombus sylvestris
433:Pollen collection
380:Bombus sylvestris
368:Bombus sylvestris
356:Iberian Peninsula
336:Bombus sylvestris
283:Bombus sylvestris
271:Bombus sylvestris
236:Bombus sylvestris
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226:Le Peletier, 1833
198:Bombus sylvestris
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25:Bombus sylvestris
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1059:NHMSYS0000875594
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515:Bombus monticola
494:cuckoo bumblebee
424:Nest acquisition
317:, and/or on its
266:Bombus monticola
249:cuckoo bumblebee
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561:hound's-tongues
509:Bombus jonellus
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400:Bombus pratorum
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254:Bombus pratorum
239:, known as the
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492:Since it is a
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467:B. sylvestris
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408:B. sylvestris
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404:B. sylvestris
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385:
384:globe thistle
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343:B. sylvestris
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662:the original
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604:. Retrieved
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1028:iNaturalist
899:Wikispecies
760:Entomofauna
602:. Biolib.cz
589:ITIS Report
533:deadnettles
478:B. jonellus
472:B. pratorum
287:Hymenoptera
206:Le Peletier
134:Hymenoptera
1126:Bumblebees
1115:Categories
789:0007174519
766:: 445–449.
703:0007174519
694:Bumblebees
571:References
323:melanistic
162:Subgenus:
114:Arthropoda
781:Bumblees.
727:5 January
668:6 January
565:knapweeds
537:dandelion
443:corbicula
315:scutellum
311:proboscis
174:Species:
167:Psithyrus
100:Kingdom:
94:Eukaryota
926:BioLib:
890:Q1431874
884:Wikidata
833:475–486.
549:lavender
521:thistles
415:Behavior
361:Shetland
215:Synonyms
140:Family:
110:Phylum:
104:Animalia
90:Domain:
67:IUCN 3.1
1020:1340333
968:1065163
553:clovers
525:bramble
319:tergite
299:Bombini
208:, 1832)
150:Genus:
130:Order:
124:Insecta
120:Class:
65: (
1098:507835
1046:715024
1033:127736
994:231920
981:254072
787:
700:
606:3 July
529:sallow
506:, but
341:Since
295:Apinae
291:Apidae
263:, and
155:Bombus
144:Apidae
1072:30201
976:EUNIS
942:31775
929:70376
756:(PDF)
366:Most
40:Male
1085:1445
1067:NCBI
1041:ITIS
1015:GBIF
955:MFW9
937:BOLD
785:ISBN
729:2013
698:ISBN
670:2013
608:2012
523:and
512:and
475:and
437:The
374:Diet
1054:NBN
963:EoL
950:CoL
914:ADW
541:bay
243:or
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1095::
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978::
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838:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
