Bee-parasite
Guides
Tricrania
Tricrania is a genus of Nearctic blister beetles (Meloidae: Nemognathinae) containing at least three described species, including T. sanguinipennis and T. stansburyi. These beetles are obligate cleptoparasites of solitary bees, with highly modified life cycles involving hypermetamorphosis and flightless adults. The genus is notable for its specialized larval stages that exploit bee nest aggregations.
Tricrania stansburyi
Stansbury's Blister Beetle
Tricrania stansburyi is a blister beetle in the family Meloidae. It is a cleptoparasite of solitary bees, specifically known to parasitize the mason bee Osmia lignaria propinqua. The species exhibits hypermetamorphosis, with triungulin larvae attaching to host bees to gain entry to nest cells. It is found in North America and is one of at least two species in the genus Tricrania.
Triepeolus distinctus
Triepeolus distinctus is a cleptoparasitic cuckoo bee in the family Apidae, subfamily Nomadinae. As a member of the tribe Epeolini, it is a brood parasite of other bees, likely targeting hosts in the family Apidae such as long-horned bees (Eucerini). The species occurs in North America, though specific details about its biology and host associations remain limited in published literature.
Triepeolus grandis
Great Feather-tongue-Cuckoo
Triepeolus grandis is a cleptoparasitic bee in the family Apidae, subfamily Nomadinae. It is a cuckoo bee that parasitizes the ground-nesting bee Caupolicana yarrowi (Colletidae: Diphaglossinae). Females enter host nests during or after host provisioning, destroy host eggs or larvae, and lay their own eggs on the host's pollen provisions. The species occurs in North America and Central America.
Triepeolus loomisorum
Triepeolus loomisorum is a cleptoparasitic bee species in the family Apidae, first described by Rozen in 1989. As a member of the genus Triepeolus, it is a cuckoo bee that does not construct nests or gather pollen, instead laying eggs in the nests of host bees. The species is known from the United States and Mexico.
Triepeolus martini
Triepeolus martini is a cleptoparasitic bee species in the family Apidae, first described by Cockerell in 1900. As a member of the genus Triepeolus, it functions as a cuckoo bee, laying eggs in the nests of host bees. The species has been documented in the United States and Mexico.
Triepeolus pectoralis
Goldenrod Longhorn-Cuckoo Bee
Triepeolus pectoralis is a species of cuckoo bee in the family Apidae. It is found in North America, with records from Vermont and other regions. As a member of the genus Triepeolus, it is a cleptoparasitic bee that lays eggs in the nests of host bees. The species has been documented on flowers including White Prairie Clover (Dalea candida) and Great Valley gumplant (Grindelia camporum).
Zodioninae
Zodioninae is a subfamily of thick-headed flies (Conopidae) within the order Diptera. These flies are parasitoids, with females known to attack solitary bees and wasps by forcibly depositing eggs into the host's abdomen during flight. The subfamily contains approximately 20 described species, most assigned to the genus Zodion. They are distinguished from other conopids by reduced wing venation and characteristic abdominal morphology.