Vestal cuckoo bee  (Bombus vestalis)

Description

Until recently, cuckoo bumblebees were once considered to belong to a separate genus (Psithyrus) in recognition of their distinctive appearance and their behaviour as parasites in the colonies of other bumblebees. Lately, experts have, by and large, agreed that all bumblebees belong to a single genus, Bombus, with Psithyrus as a subgenus (3). Cuckoo bees are similar in appearance to bumblebees, but they have a softer ‘buzz’, indeed Psithyrus means ‘murmuring’ as opposed to ‘Bombus’, which means ‘booming’. Other differences include the lack of pollen baskets on the legs and a sparser coat of hairs, through which the shiny black cuticle can easily be seen (4).

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