Sphecodes Bees
Small/medium sized bees with with sixteen species in the UK. These are cuckoo bees, cleptoparasites of primarily Halicus and Lasioglossum bee species, in that they "steal" their nests. They can be observed investigating potential nest sites where they enter the host bee nest burrows and lay their own eggs in the brood chambers. When the Specodes larvae hatch, they kill the egg or larvae of the host bee and then consume the pollen stocks.
Small/medium sized bees with with sixteen species in the UK. These are cuckoo bees, cleptoparasites of primarily Halicus and Lasioglossum bee species, in that they "steal" their nests. They can be observed investigating potential nest sites where they enter the host bee nest burrows and lay their own eggs in the brood chambers. When the Specodes larvae hatch, they kill the egg or larvae of the host bee and then consume the pollen stocks.
© Ed Phillips 2026