Mourning bee

Species: Common mourning bee

Scientific name: Melecta albifrons

Appearance: The body is black but may have white tufts of hair. Females are bulkier than males.

Size: About 1.3cm long

Natural History: The mourning bee is a solitary bee and a parasite of the hairy-footed flower bee. They invade the nests of flower bees and lay their own eggs which hatch before their host’s eggs. The larvae then eat the food provisions and the competition!