Animal profile

Nomad Bee

InsectaWherever their solitary bee hosts nest, chiefly open sunny ground and sandy banks

Field profile

Nomad bees are cleptoparasites: wasp-like, largely hairless bees that lay eggs in the nests of other bees. They build no nest, gather no pollen and often mimic the appearance and scent of their hosts. Nomada is one of the largest bee genera.

Published field notes

2024-07-13

Nomad Bee

Cuckoo bees have lost the equipment to collect pollen

A bee that steals a stocked nest never needs to gather pollen, and the anatomy goes with the behaviour. Nomada females lack a scopa entirely and look more like small wasps than bees.

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