Why is the presence of host species critical for finding the Yellowish Cuckoo Bumblebee?
Answer
The female cuckoo bee is an obligate social parasite that invades the host queen's nest.
The distribution of Bombus fervidus is fundamentally tied to its hosts because it practices obligate social parasitism. The female cuckoo bee overwinters alone and emerges in the spring specifically to locate a queen of a social species who is establishing her initial nest. Upon finding the host nest, the female parasite invades, subsequently killing or displacing the host queen. The existing workers within the host colony are then manipulated by the parasite to raise the parasitic brood, meaning that without a viable host queen establishing a nest, the Yellowish Cuckoo Bumblebee cannot reproduce in that location.
Related Questions
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