Non-honey bees

Happy Easter!

As on a black-and-white cartoon it may be hard to tell the species, I’ll tell you that it’s Colletes cunicularius – a spring solitary bee common in Europe, and Sphecodes albilabris – its cuckoo.

Many species of cuckoo bees sneak into the host’s nest when it’s open, to lay their eggs inside. If they encounter their host, it may pay no attention to the intruder (I had a cartoon about it) or a fight may start. Sphecodes are quite aggressive and they often kill the host.