By Matt McGrathEnvironment
correspondent
12 May 2018
Scientists have discovered 15 new
species of cuckoo bees hidden in North American museum collections and in an
ancient thesis.
Like their avian counterparts,
cuckoo bees lay their eggs in the nests of other bees, usually solitary
dwellers.
When the cuckoos hatch they kill
off the usurped bees' larva and and survive on stored pollen.
Researchers say that this type of
behaviour is common in bees and up to 15% of species are cuckoos.
While there are many different
genera, or types, of cuckoo bees, all the new discoveries relate to one
genus, Epeolus. The new findings bring to 43 the total of Epeolus species
in North America.
These cuckoos are said to look
more like wasps than other bees, with a smoother, less fuzzy look. This is
because they don't have the body hairs that other bees use to collect pollen
for their young, as they rely on the hosts to do that for them.
They also tend not to be seen
near flowers, but are often found hovering close to the ground searching for
host nests.
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