#epeolus

[bee-safari-blog]

Epeolini cuckoo bee. Those eyes! #bees #macroworld_tr #tgif_insects #macro_perfection #cuckoobee #epeolini #epeolus #bee #pocket_insects #insects_of_our_world #insectsofinstagram #insects_macro #redeyes #macroclique #mat_macro #explore_macro #macro_captures #fiftyshades_of_macro #bug #insects_macro

[bee-safari-blog]

Today we take a look at an Epeolus bee. Think of all the bees you've seen and it's likely that the heavily patterned eyes of this bee are among the most captivating. These attractive and fuzzy fellows are grouped among the cuckoo bees in that just like the cuckoo birds of the Old World, they sneak into the nests of unsuspecting hosts and lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch it's the cuckoo bee larva that win out, often killing the host larva and utizing the nest provisions for its own growth. Beautiful, yes, but with it being a parasite is it something you want in your garden? To that I say yes. Consider the biodiversity they add and that their presence is an indication of a healthy population of hosts. Keep in mind that any parasite outnumbering their host will go extinct themselves, so cuckoo bees are generally less common than those whose nests they parasitize. As for the hosts of Epeolus bees, they are those of the genus Colletes, known commonly as the plasterer bees. #bees #cuckoobee #epeolus #nestparasite #macroworld_tr #photoarena_nature #insects_of_our_world

[dendroica]

Epeolus scutellaris, F, Side, ME, Steuben_2014-02-23-12.49.25 ZS PMax by Sam Droege on Flickr.

A nest parasite of Colletes bees, this is perhaps the most common of the Epeolus species in eastern North America. This species main target is likely the common fall Cellophane Bee Colletes simulans. Photograph by Brooke Alexander.