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Nomada lathburiana
Chestpiece black mottled with yellow shield and shoulder bumps. Abdomen yellow with black edges segment, the first 2 segments wholly or partly red. It is a cleptoparasite on Andrena cineraria. The Nomada female detects incomplete host cells which are still open and being provided with food. The Nomada oviposits an egg in the wall of the cell and departs. The host oviposits in the cell when provisioning is completed and seals the cell. The first stage larva of the cleptoparasite has large mandibles which are used to kill the host's egg or young larva, before feeding on the provisions. Nomada bees return to a nest as many times as cells are created by the host female.
Found in open sunny areas within the nesting sites of the host. Where the host is nesting in large compact aggregations Nomada males and females can be very numerous.
Spotted on May 17, 2012
Submitted on May 20, 2012
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