The Wildlife of
Cragside

 
Home
A-Z Index
Statistics

Bumblebees - The Forest Cuckoo Bee

First seen on Tuesday 29th July 2025 at Cragside

Cuckoo Bumblebees are similar to, but more gruesome than the Cuckoo bird. The female cuckoo bee replaces the existing queen (sometimes killing her) then lays her eggs in the nest where the existing worker bees then feed her and nurture her grubs. The main target is the Carder Bumblebee. The one pictured here is a pale form.