---

B vestalis queens can be very big, and very plush looking. It can also emerge quite early. Your specimen is clearly of a cuckoo species (no corbicula, darkened wings). The only thing that makes me doubt is the quantity of tawny hairs on the scutellum, but I don't know what else it could be (but bear in mind that you have lots of species that I have never seen too). I am assuming you took these photos in the last couple of days? But if not, that could give clues to the ID as well.