Climate, not hosts, affects distribution of nest-stealing bees

Orchid bees are colourful pollinators found exclusively in the Neotropics. Some species are cleptoparasites that hijack nests from host species. In this case, researchers evaluated the inclusion of a host bee species, Eulema nigrita, in modelling of distributions of the orchid bee Aglae caerulea. Using GBIF-mediated occurrences, researchers created distribution models for the parasite, combining them with historical climate data and the presence of E. nigrita. Surprisingly, the results showed that the host-parasite interaction complex did not improve the models. Instead, the ranges of A. caerulea appear mainly constrained by climatic factors, not the presence of the host.