Gooden's Nomad bee (Nomada goodeniana)

The name ‘Nomada’ is derived from the Greek word meaning ‘roaming’ or ‘wandering' which gives a clue to the nature of this family of bees.

All Nomad Bees are cleptoparasites or ‘cuckoo bees’ searching for the nests of other bee species in which they will lay their eggs.

N. goddeniana is one of two successful, largish nomads with a black and yellow-marked abdomen, the other being N. marshamelia. The two can be separated by the unbroken yellow marking on the 2nd tergite of this species.

In general female nomads detect a nest by scent and visual cues, waiting to enter the nest when she thinks it's unoccupied.

She then lays an egg in an unsealed nest cell. When it hatches, the larva kills the host bee egg or grub, before feeding on the nectar and pollen food store. The following spring it will be another Nomad Bee to emerge as an adult.

On the wing from April to June, host species for N, goodeniana include Andrena nigroaenea, A. pubescens & A. thoracica.