Variegated Flower Beetle vs Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Variegated Flower Beetle Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee
Scientific Name Gnorimus variabilis Bombus bohemicus
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Apidae
Size 15-20 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Parks Underground
Diet Pollen Feeders Pollen Feeders
Regions Europe Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

Variegated Flower Beetle

A dark brown or black beetle with variable yellow-white spots on the elytra. It is extremely rare and tied to ancient hollow trees.

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Did You Know?

It is so rare in Britain that it has been found at only a handful of sites in its entire recorded history.

Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee

A social parasite that invades colonies of other bumble bees, killing the queen and enslaving the workers. Females lack pollen baskets since they never collect pollen themselves.

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Did You Know?

After killing the host queen, the cuckoo female forces the orphaned workers to raise her own offspring instead.