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Arthropods Daily – Issue No. 690 No. 690 |

Cuckoo Bumble Bees
Cuckoo Bumble Bees (Psithyrus) – subgenus of genus “Bumble Bees“

Cuckoo bumblebees are members of the subgenus Psithyrus in the bumblebee genus Bombus. Until recently, the 29 species of Psithyrus were considered to constitute a separate genus. They are a specialized lineage which has lost the ability to collect pollen and to rear their brood. They have lost the worker caste and produce only sexuals, male and female. They are inquilines in the colonies of other bumblebees. Before finding and invading a host colony, a Psithyrus...

Ancestry Graph

%%{ init: { 'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'primaryColor': '#83a09c', 'primaryTextColor': '#212d2b', 'primaryBorderColor': '#fff', 'lineColor': '#fff', 'secondaryColor': '#006100', 'tertiaryColor': '#fff' } } }%% flowchart LR classDef active fill:#fff arthropods("phylum: Arthropods"):::active arthropods-->insects("class: Insects"):::active insects-->narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees("suborder: Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees"):::active narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees-->honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies("family: Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies"):::active honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies-->bumble-bees("genus: Bumble Bees"):::active bumble-bees-.->bombus(": Bombus") bumble-bees-.->common-carder-bumble-bee(["species: Common Carder Bumble Bee"]) bumble-bees==>cuckoo-bumble-bees(": Cuckoo Bumble Bees"):::active bumble-bees-.->early-bumble-bee(["species: Early Bumble Bee"]) bumble-bees-.->garden-bumble-bee(["species: Garden Bumble Bee"]) bumble-bees-.->shrill-carder-bumble-bee(["species: Shrill Carder-Bumble bee"]) click bombus href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies/bumble-bees/bombus/" click common-carder-bumble-bee href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies/bumble-bees/common-carder-bumble-bee/" click cuckoo-bumble-bees href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies/bumble-bees/cuckoo-bumble-bees/" click early-bumble-bee href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies/bumble-bees/early-bumble-bee/" click garden-bumble-bee href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies/bumble-bees/garden-bumble-bee/" click shrill-carder-bumble-bee href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies/bumble-bees/shrill-carder-bumble-bee/" click arthropods href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/" click insects href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/" click narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/" click honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies/" click bumble-bees href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/narrow-waisted-wasps-ants-and-bees/honey-bees-bumble-bees-and-allies/bumble-bees/"

This is not intended to be a dry lexicon. Personal stories and sensitive articles form the framework for our pictures: „Franz and his journey into the world of humans“ Franz, the friendly seed beetle, wakes up as a human one morning and uses his new abilities to improve the world of arthropods.

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Franz and his journey into the world of humans

„Cuckoo Bumble Bees“ also appeared in the following editions of Arthropods Daily

Cuckoo Bumble Bees

No. 690 |

Cuckoo Bumble Bees

Cuckoo bumblebees are members of the subgenus Psithyrus in the bumblebee genus Bombus. Until recently, the 29 species of Psithyrus were considered to constitute a separate genus. They are a specialized lineage which has lost the ability to collect pollen and to rear their brood. They have lost the worker caste and produce only sexuals, male and female. They are inquilines in the colonies of other bumblebees. Before finding and invading a host colony, a Psithyrus...