#nomad bee

Nomad Bees (Genus Nomada), taken April 7, 2026, in Georgia, US

@icykali submitted: Wanted to submit a photo I took today that I’m really proud of, Black-and-yellow Nomad Bee on forget-me-not flowers! Found in the Hudson Valley, NY

Did you know it's bugworld...

Nomad Bee - Nomada sp.

Despite the prominence of well-pollinating eusocial (colony-founding) Bees within nature, it can be staggering to learn how many varieties of solitary Bees exist in nature. In contrast to their eusocial cousins who must manage themselves, their colony, the stability of their nest and that colony's new workers, solitary Bees only need to account for their needs and the needs of their future progeny. This blog has documented many types of solitary specimens before including such finds as Andrenid Bees, Leafcutting Bees, and Sweat Bees. The Nomad Bee individuals showcased here are also solitary Bees, and are technically classified as Cuckoo Bees (of the subfamily Nomadinae). Interestingly, many of these Bees that I've seen within this branch are very Wasp-like in appearance as a result of their proportions, bright colors and smoky wings, these individuals very much included. As well, although these Bees will actively contribute to pollination, it's worth noting that they lack a pollen basket (a notable distinctive feature of these Bees). As their common name would suggest, these Bees tend to lack a nest and they wander around their environment, but they do not do so in an aimless manner. Rather, each species of Cuckoo Bee searches for something specific which may require diligence, keen senses and a bit of luck in order to be successful. This Bee's subfamily name gives us all the information we need, as this branch within the Anthophila clade received its common namesake from the cuckoo birds.

While I don't wish to paint all cuckoos with the same brush, the most notable cuckoo birds are known as brood parasites, whereby the parents lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and leaving their offspring to be raised by a different species, often at the expense of the original chicks. Much the same happens when this type of Bee encounters the dwelling or nest of another particular Bee. Specifically, the entirety of Cuckoo Bees are considered kleptoparasites; the adult Bees seek out a host and lay their own tiny eggs inside the egg cells of that host. After the cell(s) is sealed, the Cuckoo Bee's egg will hatch and eat the host's larva using specialized mandibles, and then move onto the stored pollen and/or nectar after the first molt. Moreover, each species of Cuckoo has a particular host which it seeks out, rather than target all potential Bees. Moreover, while female Cuckoo Bees bare the responsibility of laying eggs within a host's nest (when the host isn't home), the males are the ones which scout out for the nests and locate them, which may be what is occurring with the most prominent individual among these pictures (except in Pictures 5 and 10) who is likely to be a male Bee. From my understanding, male Nomad Bees tend to be smaller and darker in color, and will have 13 antennae segments (females have 12) plus a pygidial plate which protrudes from the abdomen's tip. Picture 1 offers a glimpse at this intriguing and identifiable structure.