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Bumblebee & Beetle

Posted on Jul 27, 2016

One of the many, many bumblebees in my yard looked just off. When I caught it for a closer look, it had a hitchhiking beetle attached to one of its antenna! These flower beetles (Antherophaga sp.) feed on flowers as adults, but their larvae feed on detritus inside bumblebee nests. Apparently, the easiest way to get from one place to the other is to latch onto a passing bumblebee and go along for the ride! Who knew? Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.

Bumblebee flower beetle

Twan Leenders
RTPI President