Nest usurpation

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This article is about the insect behavior. For other uses, see Usurper (disambiguation).
Bombus rupestris, a cuckoo bumblebee, killed by members of the Bombus lapidarius nest it was trying to usurp (image includes red-tailed Bombus lapidarius workers who died defending their nest)

Nest usurpation is when the queen of one species of

eusocial
insects takes over the colony of another species.

Cuckoo bumblebees (Psithyrus)[1] and cuckoo paper wasps (Polistes) are known for usurpation.[2]

Nest usurpation most frequently occurs during the late pre-emergence stage of a nest.

brood parasitism) through pheromones and/or physical attacks.[4]

Among Metapolybia cingulata, it is very common to observe queens taking over other M. cingulata colonies, however it has also been noted that if the two colonies are similar enough, the exchange of workers or queens can be relatively smooth.[5]

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-4481-3008-5
    .
  2. ISSN 0003-0147
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  3. ^
    doi:10.1007/BF02350216
    .
  4. PMID 15062814
    .
  5. doi:10.1155/1975/83143
    .


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