Why do cuckoo bees often look sleeker and more wasp-like than honeybees?
Answer
They have greatly reduced or absent specialized hairs for carrying pollen (scopa).
Cuckoo bees have abandoned the need for heavy coats of hair because they do not gather massive amounts of pollen; consequently, their specialized branched hairs, or scopa, used for carrying pollen are either greatly reduced or completely absent in many species.
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