Saturday, March 6, 2010

Spotted!


We found this gorgeous creature hanging around with the honey bees this morning, getting nectar from a basil bush.

As they say at Aussie Bee:
The Neon Cuckoo Bee, Thyreus nitidulus. Stunningly beautiful, with glittering metallic blue spots, these bees lead a life of deceit! They prey on the nests of blue banded bees.

I do see blue banded bees regularly; they would be one of the commonest native bees in suburbia. I've never seen a Neon Cuckoo Bee before though, and unlike our native stingless bees she's a bit hard to overlook!

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