Philopatry and nest founding in a primitively social bee, Halictus rubicundus

Yanega, Douglas

doi:10.1007/bf00183311

Cited by 53 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Nest-based studies (e.g. Yanega 1989Yanega , 1990) provide a "gold standard" for revealing many crucial aspects of social behaviour in insects, because they allow us to infer colony social organisation and the consequences of interactions among nestmates. But when nests are difficult to find in large enough numbers to justify excavating and destroying them, sociobiological studies based on pan trapped specimens generate inferences about colony social organization and female reproductive behaviour that are a viable alternative.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In sweat bees, eusociality is characterized by the behavioural totipotency of all adult females, such that any newly eclosed female is potentially capable of taking on either the queen or worker role (Yanega 1989(Yanega , 1990. The flexibility inherent in the behaviour of individual females is also observed at the level of entire colonies or populations, as there is considerable evidence for both intraand inter-population variation in colony social organisation, especially in response to local climatic conditions (Yanega 1993, Miyanaga et al 1999, Hirata et al 2005, Kocher and Paxton 2014.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phenological, but not social, variation associated with climate differences in a eusocial sweat bee, Halictus ligatus, nesting in southern Ontario

Richards¹,

Onuferko²,

Rehan³

2015

JHR

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Studies of annual and geographic variation in eusocial bee populations suggest that more stringent environmental conditions result in stronger reproductive skew favouring queens, while moderate conditions favour increasing worker reproduction. To test these predictions, we compared the phenology and colony development of H. ligatus nesting in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada to a previously studied aggregation 90 km north of St. Catharines, in Victoria, Ontario. Despite the close proximity of these two locations, St. Catharines has markedly shorter winters and longer summers. Comparisons between St. Catharines in 2006 and Victoria in the 1980s and 1990s incorporate both geographic differences in climate and temporal differences due to climate change. We predicted that St. Catharines foundress queens should emerge from hibernation and initiate nests earlier in spring, giving them time to produce more workers. Since earlier studies indicated that queens have difficulty suppressing worker reproduction in larger colonies, we also predicted higher rates of worker ovarian development in St. Catharines. In spring and summer 2006, we excavated 65 H. ligatus nests, comparing their contents to 713 specimens collected in pan traps. As predicted, nests were initiated about a month earlier in St. Catharines than in Victoria, but contrary to prediction, fewer workers were produced in St. Catharines. St. Catharines workers were just as likely to have developed ovaries as Victoria workers. About 40% of St. Catharines workers were classified as reproductive, and larger reproductive workers tended to have higher ovarian scores. RESEARCH ARTICLEMiriam H. Richards et al. / Journal of Hymenoptera Research 43: 19-44 (2015) 20 evidence that queens can initiate new nests following the loss of their first brood, overlap between worker and gyne production within some nests, and high rates of independent nest founding by worker-sized females, suggesting that many worker-brood females overwinter. Overall, the distinctly warmer climate of St. Catharines compared to Victoria led to earlier nest initiation and lengthening of the flight season, but not to the predicted differences in colony social organisation or queen-worker reproductive skew. A second objective of our study was to assess how well pan trap collections capture important information about demographic and social parameters important in assessing social variability in sweat bees. Nest excavations and pan traps produced similar results, suggesting that pan traps are a good alternative when nest excavations are impossible.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenological, but not social, variation associated with climate differences in a eusocial sweat bee, Halictus ligatus, nesting in southern Ontario

Richards¹,

Onuferko²,

Rehan³

2015

JHR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Like most other Halictus species (Michener 1974), it is a primitively eusocial bee; each colony is founded in the spring by a single fertile queen (Yanega 1990). Later in the season, tasks such as foraging, nesting, and defense are gradually assumed by the queen's unmated daughter workers if the growing season is long enough (Soucy 2002).…”

Section: Bee Natural Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Later in the season, tasks such as foraging, nesting, and defense are gradually assumed by the queen's unmated daughter workers if the growing season is long enough (Soucy 2002). The subterranean nests of Halictus species are often found grouped in persistent aggregations (Potts and Willmer 1997;Yanega 1990;Hogendoorn and Leys 1997;Eickwort et al 1996). Adult gynes (future queens) emerge in the autumn to mate, then leave the aggregation to pass the winter elsewhere (Yanega 1990).…”

Section: Bee Natural Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The subterranean nests of Halictus species are often found grouped in persistent aggregations (Potts and Willmer 1997;Yanega 1990;Hogendoorn and Leys 1997;Eickwort et al 1996). Adult gynes (future queens) emerge in the autumn to mate, then leave the aggregation to pass the winter elsewhere (Yanega 1990). Although old entrances generally are erased by winter weather, in the early spring gynes fly back to the same aggregation site to initiate a new nest near their former natal nest (typically within 1-2 m) (Potts and Willmer 1997;Yanega 1990).…”

Section: Bee Natural Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landscaping pebbles attract nesting by the native ground-nesting bee Halictus rubicundus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

Cane

2015

Apidologie

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-Most species of bees nest underground. Recent interest in pollinator-friendly gardens and landscaping focuses on planting suitable flowering species for bees, but we know little about providing for the ground-nesting needs of bees other than leaving them bare dirt surfaces. In this study, a surface layer of decorative flat stream pebbles was experimentally deployed in 24 paired subplots amid a nesting aggregation of the bee Halictus rubicundus . Over 2 years, females consistently preferred to nest amid the pebbles rather than adjacent bare dirt. Species of Halictus and their relatives (Lasioglossum , Dialictus ) are widespread native floral generalists found in many urban areas of the northern hemisphere. Discovery of this practical soil nesting enhancement for H. rubicundus offers an aesthetically acceptable landscaping technique to promote these bees' nesting, particularly where pollinator gardens and bee-friendly landscaping is already being provided.pollinator / bees / mulch / garden design / landscape / urban / conservation

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Presence of pollinator‐friendly habitat on pollinator communities in managed turfgrass systems

Billeisen

Kilpatrick

Seth-Carley

et al. 2021

Intl Turfgrass Soc Res J

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Insect pollinator community dynamics in established turfgrass systems is a topic of continuing study. This research examines pollinator abundance and diversity in two turfgrass environments (golf courses and home lawns) and whether populations are affected by the establishment of pollinator-friendly habitat. Sites adjacent to managed green spaces were selected based on site suitability for management and monitored monthly from July through October 2018 for insect pollinators using a combination of sweep netting and pan traps prior to habitat establishment. Insect sampling was repeated in 2019 post-establishment. Wildflower presence increased bee abundance but did not impact species richness.

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Philopatry and nest founding in a primitively social bee, Halictus rubicundus

Cited by 53 publications

References 27 publications

Phenological, but not social, variation associated with climate differences in a eusocial sweat bee, Halictus ligatus, nesting in southern Ontario

Phenological, but not social, variation associated with climate differences in a eusocial sweat bee, Halictus ligatus, nesting in southern Ontario

Landscaping pebbles attract nesting by the native ground-nesting bee Halictus rubicundus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

Presence of pollinator‐friendly habitat on pollinator communities in managed turfgrass systems

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