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Summary — One-hundred and forty-eight molds were isolated from the following samples of almond, Prunus dulcis, pollen : floral pollen collected by hand; corbicular pollen from pollen traps placed on colonies of honey bees, Apis mellifera, in the almond orchard; and bee bread stored in comb cells for one, three, and six weeks. The majority of molds identified were Penicillia (32%), Mucorales (21%), and Aspergilli (17%). In general, the number of isolates decreased in pollen as it was collected and stored by the bees. Each type of pollen sample appeared to differ in regard to mold flora and dominant species. Aureobasidium

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Biotropica. ABSTRACTFive species of the genus Bacillus were the only microbes found in the larval provisions of Trigona hypogea, a bee for which dead animal tissue has replaced pollen as the sole protein source. Bacillus pumilus was the most frequent isolate followed by B. megaterium, B. subtilis, B. circulans, and B. licheniformis. These bacteria were metabolically active and produced many enzymes including proteases, amylases, and esterases. They may have a fundamental role in the metabolic conversion, fermentation, and preservation of the food of perennial colonial insects that rely on stored food in tropical environments.

SUMMARYAll microbes isolated from the larval provisions of two solitary bees, Cenmis pallida and Anihophoi-a sp. (an undescribed species in the Linsleyi group), were spore-forming bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus. Bacillus cii-ciilans and B. coagulans were the most frequent isolates from provisions of C. pallida, and B. circulans was the only microbe found in the provisions of Aitthophora sp. The bacteria isolated produced a variety of enzymes including esterases, proteases, amylases, and glycosidases. These findings are discussed in relation to the presence of Bacillus spp. in the food of other bees that are social. Since Bacillus spp. are well known for their wide range of metabolic activities and their ability to secrete their chemical products, they may be involved in the metabolic conversion, fermentation, and/or preservation of the food of bees.