What is the primary, non-negotiable dietary component for adult Bombus flavidus queens and males?
Answer
Nectar
The primary and non-negotiable substance that sustains the adult Yellowish Cuckoo Bumblebee, whether it is a queen or a male, is nectar. Nectar functions as the high-energy carbohydrate source required to fuel the significant muscular activity demanded by flight. This continuous energy supply is vital for the queen as she emerges from diapause, requiring high speed for travel between foraging sites and the immense energy expenditure associated with subduing a host queen to initiate her parasitic takeover. Because *B. flavidus* does not rear a worker caste, its energy needs are entirely self-serving for maintenance and dominance assertion, distinguishing its foraging focus from social bumble bees that must also gather protein sources.
Related Questions
What is the primary, non-negotiable dietary component for adult Bombus flavidus queens and males?What specialized structure, used by social bumble bees for transport, is absent on Bombus flavidus hind tibiae?Which group is solely responsible for feeding the Bombus flavidus larvae once the queen has usurped a host nest?What critical activity requires high energy reserves for a new, mated B. flavidus queen emerging from diapause?To which subgenus, defined by social parasitism within the Bombus genus, does Bombus flavidus belong?What is the key insight for supporting B. flavidus populations through gardening practices?Which two bumble bee species are cited as examples of hosts successfully usurped by the B. flavidus queen?Why does the B. flavidus queen not need to gather pollen for her own subsistence during the active season?Generally, when do the males of Bombus flavidus appear in the activity cycle relative to the queens?What anecdotal observation suggests a preference in the color of flowers visited by B. flavidus?