Which two bumble bee species are cited as examples of hosts successfully usurped by the B. flavidus queen?
Answer
*B. rufocinctus* and *B. perplexus*
The parasitic strategy of the *Bombus flavidus* queen involves usurping an established, even if small, colony belonging to a host species. The text specifically names the Red-belted bumble bee, scientifically noted as *Bombus rufocinctus*, and the Confusing bumble bee, noted as *Bombus perplexus*, as examples of hosts whose nascent colonies are taken over by the cuckoo queen. This reliance on specific social species dictates where and when the *B. flavidus* queen must forage and assert dominance, as her entire reproductive cycle is tethered to the activity period and presence of these established social colonies.
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