Subject: Black and Blue insect
Location: Canberra Botanic gardens
January 29, 2013 11:00 pm
Was gathering pollen the same as bee’s
Signature: not signed
This appears to be a Neon Cuckoo Bee, Thyreus nitidulus, which we identified on the Brisbane Insect website. According the the Brisbane Insect website: “The Neon Cuckoo Bee are cleptoparasitic in the nest of Amegilla sp.. Neon Cuckoo Bee female does not make its own nest. It lays egg in the nest of Blue-banded bee. Female places an egg in a partially completed brood cell. After the blue-banded bee finishes provision and seals the brood cell, the cuckoo bee egg hatches into larvae and feeds on the provisions stored by Blue-banded bee. ” This is a new species for our site.
Thank you Daniel. Only wish the pic came out better.
