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Until recently, cuckoo bumblebees were once considered to belong to a separate genus (Psithyrus) in recognition of their distinctive appearance and their behaviour as parasites in the colonies of other bumblebees. Cuckoo bees are similar in appearance to bumblebees, but they have a softer buzz and they lack pollen baskets on the legs. They have a sparser coat of hairs, through which the shiny black cuticle can be seen. Mated female cuckoo bees hibernate through the winter, and emerge in the spring later than their hosts. They feed on flowers for a while before searching out a suitable host nest, by sight and/or scent. This need to be mature enough to have a worker population large enough to rear the cuckoo bee's offspring. The thick, heavily armoured cuticle of the female cuckoo bee helps to protect her when fighting with the hosts, who attempt to defend their nest. Picture taken at Felmersham, Bedfordshire 28th July 2006.