Cleptoparasitism

Holcopasites calliopsidis - cleptoparasite

While identifying bees this week, I found this bee, Holcopasites calliopsidis, which is a cleptoparasite of...

Calliopsis andreniformis - host

...this host bee, Calliopsis andreniformis. Cleptoparasites, or cuckoo bees, are found in several bee families and throughout the world. These bees do not have the special hairs (scopa) that other bees use for carrying pollen, and do not create their own nests. Instead, the females lay eggs in the nest of a bee which DOES collect pollen and build its own nest. When the parasitic young mature, they eat the pollen left by the host bee, and possibly eat the host young! This behavior is common in other living things, including cuckoo birds.