Commercial-pollinator-threat

Guides

• Bombus insularis

  Indiscriminate Cuckoo Bumble Bee

  Bombus insularis is a cuckoo bumble bee in the subgenus Psithyrus, native to northern and western North America. As a social parasite, it invades nests of host bumble bee species, usurps the resident queen, and exploits host workers to rear its own offspring. The species is known for its broad host range, attacking multiple bumble bee species across diverse habitats including tundra, taiga, and mountain ranges.

  cuckoo-bumble-beesocial-parasitenest-usurpationPsithyrusbroad-host-rangenorthern-North-Americacommercial-pollinator-threat