Trap-nesting bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in areas of dry semideciduous forest and caatinga, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT. In this study were examined the species richness and seasonal abundance of cavity-nesting bees in areas of dry semi-deciduous forest and caatinga in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Sampling was done employing two types of trap-nests: bamboo canes and tubes made of black cardboard with dimensions of either 58 x 6 mm or 105 x 8 mm. The traps were inspected once a month. One hundred and forty-six nests of 11 bee species were collected in the forest, and 121 nests of seven species were collected in the caatinga. Five species of cleptoparasitic bees were also reared from these nests. The highest nesting frequencies occurred in the wet season in both areas. Nests parasitism was important only for Centris tarsata Smith, 1874, and was higher at the caatinga site than in the forest. The mortality of pre-emergent adults was high, especially in C. tarsata, Tetrapedia diversipes Klug, 1810 and Euglossa cordata (Linnaeus, 1758). Information on the number of cells per nest, the size, shape, and arrangement of brood cells in the nests, as well as the number of adults produced and the number of generations per year are also presented. Species richness, temporal patterns of nesting, and percentage of parasitism were compared with other habitats.

Nest architecture, life cycle, and natural enemies of the neotropical leafcutting bee Megachile (Moureapis) maculata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in a montane forest

“…Among the parasitoid species that may attack the brood cells, Coelioxys spp., M. australica (Eulophidae), and the cuckoo wasp, Chrysis spp., are known to parasitize nests of Megachile and other bee species (e.g., Michener 1953;Zillikens and Steiner 2004;Pitts-Singer and Cane 2011;Filho and Garófalo 2016). Brood parasitism of leafcutting bees by species of Coelioxys is well documented worldwide, including Brazil (Krombein 1967;Michener 2000;Scott et al 2000;Aguiar et al 2005;Cardoso and Silveira 2012), supporting our findings. The overall rate of parasitism was 20.7%, similar for trap nesting Hymenoptera in tropical and subtropical regions (between 10 and 20%; e.g., Paini 2004;Torretta et al 2012;Alvarez et al 2016) with some notable exceptions (e.g., 49% in O' Neill and O'Neill 2016, 76.9% in Filho and Garófalo 2016, and only 3% in Staab et al 2014.…”

Nesting and use of pollen resources by Tetrapedia diversipes Klug (Apidae) in Atlantic Forest areas (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in different stages of regeneration

“…A slight preference for cardboard tubes was also verif ied by Aguiar et al (2005) and Nascimento & Garófalo (2010), but these authors found also nests of this species in bamboo canes. Thus, the type of material used for trap-nests can be suggested as an influential factor in the choice of nesting cavity.…”

O uso de diferentes métodos para amostragem da fauna de abelhas (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), um estudo em floresta ombrófila mista em Santa Catarina

“…Desse total cerca de 20% dos ninhos foram fundados por abelhas e o restante (80%) por vespas. Segundo Garófalo et al (2004) membros das famílias Apidae e Megachilidae têm sido freqüentemente capturados com essa metodologia no Brasil, embora em outros trabalhos apenas abelhas da família Apidae tenham sido capturadas (Viana et al 2001, Aguiar et al 2005.…”