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Vestal cuckoo bee
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Vestal cuckoo bee
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Vestal cuckoo bee

Vestal Cuckoo Bee, Bombus vestalis.
It is a brood parasite that takes over the nests of other bee species. Its primary host is Bombus terrestris (the buff-tailed bumblebee). A key characteristic is the lack of a pollen basket on the hind. This is because it does not make its own nests or collect its own resources. With its larger body and poor foraging skills, females are adapted to taking over nests of other species which have already been made and using the workers in these colonies to collect pollen.