What is a cuckoo bee?
Q: What is a cuckoo bee?
A: A cuckoo bee is a type of bee that lays its eggs in the nests of other bees and steals food stored for the host larvae.
Q: What is kleptoparasitism?
A: Kleptoparasitism is a type of parasitism by theft, in which one organism steals food or resources from another.
Q: Why do female cuckoo bees lack the special long hairs that collect pollen?
A: Female cuckoo bees lack the special long hairs that collect pollen because they do not collect pollen or make their own nests, as they are kleptoparasites.
Q: How do cuckoo bees enter the nests of pollen-collecting species?
A: Cuckoo bees enter the nests of pollen-collecting species and lay their eggs in cells made by the host bee.
Q: What does the cuckoo bee larva eat when it hatches?
A: When the cuckoo bee larva hatches, it eats the host larva's pollen ball.
Q: What happens if the female cuckoo bee has not already killed the host larva?
A: If the female cuckoo bee has not already killed the host larva, it will kill and eat the host larva.
Q: What are some other names for social or brood-parasitic species of bees?
A: Some other names for social or brood-parasitic species of bees include Nomadinae (nomad bees) and kleptoparasites.
