Nesting biology of Megachile (Eutricharea) studiosa Bingham, a leafcutter bee

Author(s):  
Neha Kunjwal ◽  
Mohammad Sarfraz Khan ◽  
Poonam Srivastava
2017 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory Silas Sheffield

The Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee, Megachile (Eutricharaea) rotundata (Fabricius), is one of the most studied solitary bees in the world.  Although its nesting biology is well documented, it has not yet been reported nesting in cavities that expose the nests to open environments.  Reported here for the first time is evidence of this species nesting in an unusual manner which would subject the natal cells to exposure and increased parasite attack.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75
Author(s):  
Augusto Fachín Terán ◽  
Eduardo Matheus Von Mülhen

In this study the nesting biology of Podocnem is unifilis was investigated from July to November 1998 at the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, located in the Solimões river, near Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil. Podocnemis unifilis nested in August and September, with the hatching event occurring in October and November. Nests were excavated in clay soils (67.5%), sand (25%), and leaf litter (7.5%). Hatching success was highest in the sand beach nests and lowest in the clay banks nests. Humans and the tegu lizard (Tupinambis) were the main egg predators. This turtle population can recover only by the protection of nesting beaches, educational programs for the in habitants of the Reserve, participation of the community in the conservation and management program , and permanent guarding of the nesting beaches by Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e Dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis-IBAMA authorities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Harmon-Threatt

Nest site availability and quality are important for maintaining robust populations and communities of wild bees. However, for most species, nesting traits and nest site conditions are poorly known, limiting both our understanding of basic ecology for bee species and conservation efforts. Additionally, many of the threats commonly associated with reducing bee populations have effects that can extend into nests but are largely unstudied. In general, threats such as habitat disturbances and climate change likely affect nest site availability and nest site conditions, which in turn affect nest initiation, growth, development, and overwintering success of bees. To facilitate a better understanding of how these and other threats may affect nesting bees, in this review, I quantify key nesting traits and environmental conditions and then consider how these traits may intersect with observed and anticipated changes in nesting conditions experienced by wild bees. These data suggest that the effects of common threats to bees through nesting may strongly influence their survival and persistence but are vastly understudied. Increasing research into nesting biology and incorporating nesting information into conservation efforts may help improve conservation of this declining but critical group.


1988 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. Charnetski

AbstractThree methods—tube chambers (ventilated and unventilated), petri dish chambers, and field cages—were used to evaluate the toxicity of deltamethrin, trichlorfon, and methoxychlor deposits on alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., to 1- to 7-day-old alfalfa leafcutter bees, Megachile rotundata (F.), 24 and 48 h after exposure. In unventilated tube chambers, all three insecticides were significantly toxic to male bees after 24 and 48 h, but only deltamethrin and trichlorfon were significantly toxic to female bees after 24 h. In ventilated tube chambers, only deltamethrin was significantly toxic by contact and then only to male bees at 24 h. Significant vapor action was observed only for trichlorfon and only in unventilated tube chambers. By the petri dish method, only deltamethrin caused significant mortality to male and female bees. However, bee mortality increased significantly between 24 and 48 h. By the field cage method, there was no significant difference in mortality among treatments and controls within the 24- and 48-h evaluations. Bee mortality in the controls was much higher in the petri dish and field cage methods than in either of the two variations of the tube chamber method. The three evaluation methods are compared and the need for a standardized laboratory evaluation procedure is discussed.


1990 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.B. Frith ◽  
D.W. Frith
Keyword(s):  

2014 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 493-500
Author(s):  
MLT. Buschini ◽  
CE. Buss

Podium angustifrons Kohl 1902 is a species of solitary wasp which nests in pre-existing cavities, with neotropical distribution in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and French Guyana. The aim of this study was to investigate the nesting biology of P. angustifrons, discussing aspects of their life history. To capture its nests, wooden trap-nests were installed in the Parque Municipal das Araucárias, Guarapuava (PR), Brazil, from January 2003 to April 2009. A total of 29 nests were collected, all during the warmer months. These showed no vestibular and intercalary cells, and their closures were made up of chewed plants and mud mixed with organic materials and resin-coated surfaces, sometimes showing a layer of lichens. The cells were provisioned with various wild species of cockroaches (Chorisoneura sp, Riata sp and Helgaia sp) in the nymph stage and/or adults. The sex ratio was 4.6 females per male, significantly higher that the expected 1:1. Most pre-pupae entered diapause in winter with development time ranging from 187 to 283 days for females and 180 to 283 days for males. Deaths occurred in 41.66% of cells provisioned, 33.33% were attributed to faulty development and 8.33% to Chrysididae.


1976 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Hobbs ◽  
K. W. Richards

AbstractA strain of the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile pacifica Panzer, that has produced less than 1% second-generation adults for 3 consecutive years was produced by selection against bivoltinism. The selection process also resulted in the production of bees that reproduced at a much higher rate than the unselected parent stock.


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