#365Insects 21: #Antherophagus ochraceus Melsheimer 1844
While looking for interesting specimens to photograph for #365Insects, I opened a drawer of #Cryptophagidae beetles and found a bumble bee sitting in amongst the hundreds of beetles. Curious as to why a bee was filed with a bunch of beetles, I looked at its label and saw it read “Dying Beetle attach”, and was indeed paired next to a beetle. This beetle in fact, whose label included this phrase: “Beetle attach to bumble bee”.
It turns out that Antherophagus ochraceus live in the nests of bumblebees, both as larvae and adults, where they feed on detritus and left over pollen. But when things get crowded, adult beetles will latch onto the wings, legs, or even tongues of the bumble bees, hitch a ride to the nearest flower patch, dismount, and then wait for another bumble bee to come along so they can grab on again and find their way into a new hive! Who needs Über when you can just bite a bumble bee?
