The Forest Cuckoo Bumblebee

From my bumblebee chart this seems to be the Forest Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus sylvestris). The ‘cuckoo’ in the common name comes from the fact that it lays its eggs in another bumblebee’s nest. Its main ‘victim’ is the Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) which is a small bee with two yellow bands and a yellow tail.

I have visions of young Forest Cuckoo bees being fed by tiny Early Bumblebees.

So – normally I would see at most a handful of bumblebees, and often just one foraging on flowers. But three times now in the past week I have seen forty or more Forest Cuckoo Bumblebees on flowers.