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Coelioxys modesta (Cuckoo bee)

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Taxonomy

Coelioxys is a genus in the family Megachilidae that consists of cuckoo bees. Instead of building their own nests, these bees enter the nest of another bee and lay their eggs in the host cells. The Coelioxys larvae displace the host larvae and grow in their place.

Description

Coelioxys all have relatively long abdomens that taper to a distinctive point. They are generally less hairy than other bees, but they have hair on their eyeballs. Females have no pollen collecting hairs, as they do not collect pollen or build nests.

Nest Structure

Hosts: In Bee Atlas blocks, this bee has been reared from Megachile campanulae nests. Discoverlife.org notes the following hosts: Megachile (Megachile) centuncularis (L.) and M. (Chelostomoides) campanulae wilmingtoni Mitch.. Graenicher (1927) reported rearing C. modesta from nests of Megachile infragilis (centuncularis), but neither the host nor parasite specimens have been seen by this writer. A specimen of modesta reared from the nest of M. (Chelostomoides) campanulae wilminytoni by K. V. Krombein has been seen, however, as well as a specimen of the host from the same nest. This seems to be a rather wide divergence of hosts for parasite species and indicates a need for additional data.

Hole Sizes

No information at this time.

Voltinism

No information at this time.

Activity Period

No information at this time.

References

Mitchell, T.B. 1962 Bees of the Eastern United States. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 152.

Minnesota Record Map

These data are from the Minnesota Bee Atlas project.

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