Gypsy cuckoo bumble bee (Photo from iNaturalist)

Gypsy cuckoo bumble bee

What does it look like?

This bumble bee species is medium-sized, with both males and females reaching lengths of up to 18 millimetres. Their bodies are mostly black with a yellow head. Their tails are also yellow and have a white tip.

Unlike most bumble bees, gypsy cuckoo bumble bees do not bring pollen back to their colonies and, as a result, do not have the typical “pollen baskets” on their hind legs.

What does it eat?

Gypsy cuckoo bumble bees eat pollen and nectar from a variety of plant species.

Nest invader

Gypsy cuckoo bumble bees are a parasitic species. They do not have eusocial colony cycles, and do not produce worker bees. In the spring, female bees search for a host nest of a species that has worker bees. The female gypsy cuckoo bumble bee then kills or subdues the host queen and lays her eggs. Mating between male and female bees happens in late summer into fall, with the female leaving the host nest to overwinter elsewhere.

Where does it live?

This species often forages near wooded areas, but nests in a wide variety of habitats, including farms and urban areas. They have been observed across Canada, in every province and territory excluding Nunavut. However, their historical range in Canada has been depleted significantly as their population declines.

Based on evidence from a recent survey on the bee’s population, it may now be restricted to Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

What is this species’ conservation status?

There has been a direct correlation between the decline of the gypsy cuckoo bumble bee species and the decline of its host species. The significant depletion of species — such as rusty-patched and yellow-banded bumble bees — has had a negative impact on the survival of this species.

Threats impacting both gypsy cuckoo bumble bees and their host species include pesticide use, habitat loss and climate change.

Gypsy cuckoo bumble bees are facing extinction. There are assessed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. This species is listed as endangered in its native ranges by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and under the Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

What is NCC doing to protect habitat for this species?

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is helping protect this species by conserving habitats where the gypsy cuckoo bumble bee and its host species are known to live.