Vestal Cuckoo Bumble bee

The Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee is a type of bumblebee that lives by taking over the nests of other bumblebees. It does not have pollen baskets or worker bees of its own. Female Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebees have a white tail and yellow bands on their middle and back parts, which makes them look very similar to their host species, the Buff-tailed Bumblebee. Male Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebees have more yellow bands and can be hard to tell apart from other cuckoo bumblebees. This species tends to have a sturdier body compared to some related species. The Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee is found widely across England, Wales, and southern Scotland, with some records from Ireland. It lives in gardens, hedgerows, meadows, and at the edges of woodlands where the Buff-tailed Bumblebee makes its nests. Female Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebees come out later than other bumblebees, usually from May onwards. They look for nests of the Buff-tailed Bumblebee to take over. This species depends completely on the worker bees of the Buff-tailed Bumblebee to raise its young. It produces only bees that can reproduce, not worker bees.