Caste differentiation inAugochlorella (Hymenoptera,Halictidæ)

Summary The presence of two castes, the egglayers or queens and the nonegglayers or workerlike females, is demonstrated inA. striata andA. persimilis although the castes are poorly defined. One or more queens may be present in a nest during the spring, at which time all individuals of the colony may perform all nesting activities including the collecting of pollen for the cells. After the first brood has emerged in June, there is only one egglayer per colony, and this individual, although continuing to guard and build cells, does not collect pollen. The other females of the colony, although frequently mated, rarely lay eggs but do carry on all other nesting activities. The queens and nonegglaying females differ in size averaged over the season, but there are no gross morphological differences between the two castes.

---

Zusammenfassung Die Anwesenheit zweier Kasten, die Eierlegerinnen oder Königinnen und die Nichteierlegerinnen oder arbeiterähnlichen Weibchen, inA. striata undA. persimilis, wird bewiesen, obgleich die Kasten undeutlich definiert sind. Eine oder mehr Königinnen können während des Frühlings im Nest sein, zu einer Zeit in der alle Individuen der Kolonie alle Nesttätigkeiten einschliesslich der Pollensammlung ausführen können. Nach der Eklosion der ersten Brut im June, ist nur eine Eierlegerin pro Kolonie da, welche weiter das Nest bewacht und Zellen baut aber keinen Pollen sammelt. Die anderen Weibchen der Kolonie, obgleich abermals gepaart, legen selten Eier. Sie führen jedoch alle weiteren Nestaktivitäten aus. Die Königinnen und Nichteierlegerinnen, sind im Jahresdurchschnitt verschieden gross, aber bedeutende morphologische Unterschiede zwischen den Kasten wurden nicht gefunden.

---

Résumé L'auteur met en évidence, chezA. striata etA. persimilis, la présence de deux castes: pondeuses ou reines et femelles non pondeuses du type ouvrières; les castes sont cependant peu différenciées. La présence d'une reine et plus, dans le nid, peut être observée au printemps lorsque tous les individus de la colonie accomplissent les différentes tâches, y compris la récolte du pollen pour les cellules. Après l'apparition, en juin, du premier couvain, il n'y a plus qu'une pondeuse par colonie, celle-ci continue à construire des cellules et à s'en occuper mais ne récolte pas de pollen. Les autres femelles de la colonie, bien que souvent fécondées, ne pondent pas d'ufs mais se chargent des autres activités du nid. La taille moyenne des reines et des femelles non pondeuses diffère au cours de la saison, mais il n'y a pas de différence morphologique importante entre les deux castes.

---

---

Contribution number 1.282 from the Department of Entomology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence.     

Nesting behavior ofHalictus scabiosæ in Switzerland (Hymenoptera,Halictidæ)

Summary The structure and populations of seven nests ofHalictus scabiosæ were studied in Geneva during July and August, 1964. Cells, containing brood of various ages, were radially arranged along the branching burrows. The one to six females in each nest did not belong to distinct worker and queen castes. This is in contrast to reports of distinct castes in what appears to be the same species from France. Most pollen collectors in the Geneva population were inseminated and some probably laid eggs.

---

Zusammenfassung Die Struktur und die Bewohner von sieben Nestern vonHalictus scabiosæ, die im Juli und August 1964 in der Gegend um Genf gesammelt wurden, werden beschrieben. Zellen mit Brut verschiedenen Alters sind entlang verzweigter Gänge radiär angeordnet. Bis zu sechs Weibchen befanden sich in einem einzelnen Nest. Sie waren nicht in Königinnen und Arbeiterinnen differenziert, wie dies von Bienen aus Frankreich berichtet ist, die wahrscheinlich zur selben Art gehören. Die meisten Pollen-Sammlerinnen der Genfer Population waren befruchtet und einige von ihnen legten auch wahrscheinlich Eier.

---

Résumé La structure et la population de sept nids deHalictus scabiosæ ont été étudiées à Genève durant les mois de juillet et d'août 1964. Des cellules contenant du couvain d'âge différent sont disposées en rayons le long de terriers qui se ramifient. Chaque nid était occupé par une à six femelles qui n'appartenaient pas à une caste distincte d'ouvrières ou de reine. La plupart des abeilles qui collectent le pollen furent inséminées et quelques-unes probablement pondèrent des ufs.

---

---

Contribution No. 1303 from the Department of Entomology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence.     

Social behavior and nests of some nomiine bees in India (Hymenoptera,Halictidæ)

Summary Social or semisocial behavior in nomiine bees is here reported for the first time. InNomia capitata and perhaps inN. oxybeloides, presumed sister bees share cell clusters and cooperatively provision the same cells. Unlike other primitively social bees, the sisters simultaneously forage and oviposit. There is no apparent inhibition of the oviposition of daughters, although their nest-founding mother or perhaps an older sister appears to stay in the nest and continue to oviposit.Nesting behavior and nest structure ofNomia capitata andN. oxybeloides are similar; cells are vertical and clustered. In contrastNomia nasicana makes horizontal cells scattered along the main burrow.

---

Zusammenfassung Zum ersten Mal wird über soziales oder halbsoziales Verhalten von Bienen aus der Unterfamilie der Nomiinen berichtet. BeiNomia capitata und vielleicht auch beiN. oxybeloides teilen sich mehrere Bienen—wahrscheinlich Schwestern—ein und denselben Zellkomplex und verproviantieren auch die Zellen gemeinsam. Ganz im Gegensatz zu anderen sozial primitiven Bienen verproviantieren diese Nestgenossen nicht nur, sondern legen auch Eier. Die Fähigkeit Eier zu produzieren ist in diesen Bienen offenbar nicht unterdrückt, obwohl sich in jedem Nest ein eierlegendes Individuum befindet, die entweder die Nestgründerin, oder eine ältere Schwester sein muss. Im Nistverhalten und in der Struktur der Nester sind sichN. capitata undN. oxybeloides sehr ähnlich. Die Zellen stehen vertikal und sind in Gruppen angeordnet. Im Gegensatz dazu fertigtN. nasicana horizontal liegende Zellen, die entlang eines Tunnels verteilt sind.

---

Résumé Un comportement social est décrit pour la première fois chez des abeilles nomiine. ChezNomia capitata et probablementN. oxybeloides, il existe des abeilles surs qui partagent les cellules et les approvisionnent ensemble. Contrairement à d'autres abeilles à comportement social primitif, les surs butinent et pondent des ufs simultanément. Les filles ne montrent pas d'inhibition apparente de ponte malgré que leur mère ayant bâtit le nid, ou peut-être une vieille sur, reste dans le nid et continue à pondre des ufs.Le comportement et la structure des nids desNomia capitata, N. oxybeloides etNomia nasicana sont décrits.

---

---

Contribution No 1304 from the Department of Entomology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence. This paper is the second of a series on behavior of Halictidae in India; the others areBatra andMichener (1966) andBatra (1966).     

Notes on the biology of the ant speciesMyrmecia dispar (Clark) (Hymenoptera: Formicidæ)

Myrmecia dispar (Clark) is found in the drier inland areas of New South Wales and southern Queensland in Australia. Its nests, which are situated adjacent to trees, have a distinctive structure of simple architecture. The composition of the colonies varies seasonally with little or no brood production during the colder months. Colony founding probably takes place in March, April, and/or May. Several myrmecophiles are found in nests ofM. dispar, and some of these are present in relatively large numbers.     

Mating activities ofAtta texana (Hymenoptera,formicidæ)

Summary Alate broods are reared without worker broods in lower cavities of nests in winter, and with worker broods in upper cavities of nests in spring. Winged adults appear in early April, but swarming does not occur until late May. Flights issue yearly from most large nests. The alate sex ratio is about 11. Before swarming will occur, nest surfaces must be soaked with at least 7 mm of rain; flights continue as long as nests remain wet and temperatures exceed 16°.A circadian rhythm triggers swarming at about 355 a.m., and most alates leave the nest surface within 2 minutes. Fertilized females contain from 69 to 186 million spermatozoa. Seminal vesicles of males contain 65 to 130 million spermatozoa.

---

Zusammenfassung Geflügelte Nachkommenschaft wird im Winter in den unteren Hohlräumen des Nests ohne die Brut der Arbeiterinnen aufgezogen und im Frühling mit der letzteren zusammen in den oberen Hohlräumen des Nests. Geflügelte erwachsene Ameisen earschienen Anfang April, schwärmten aber erst Ende Mai. Flüge fanden jährlich von den meisten grossen Nestern aus statt. Bie den geflügelten Individuen war das Verhältnis der Geschlechter 11. Vor dem Schwärmen war die Nestoberfläche mit mindestens 7 mm Niederschlag durchnässt worden; Flüge wurden fortgesetzt solange die Nester feucht waren und die Temperatur 16° C überschritt.Ein Tagesrhytmus löste das Schwärmen ungefähr um 3 Uhr 55 Minuten morgens aus, und die meisten geflügelten Ameisen verliessen die Nestoberfläche innerhalb von 2 Minuten. Befruchtete Weibchen enthielten zwischen 69 und 186 Millionen Spermatozoen; Samentasche der Männchen enthielten 65 bis 130 Millionen Samenzellen.

---

Resumen (2) Durante el invierno, las creasas aladas son criadas en la ausencia de cresas trabajadoras en las cavidades inferiores de los nidos, pero durante la primavera, son criadas junto a creasas trabajadoras en las cavidades superiores de los nidos. Los adultos alados aparecen temprano en abril, pero los vuelos ocurren terde en mayo. Los sexos aparecen en proporció unitaria en los adultos alados. Los vuelos ocurren cuando las superficies de los nidos han sido humedecidas con 7 mm de agua y continúan ocurriendo mientras haya suficiente humedad y la temperature sobrepase 16° C.Los vuelos son iniciados por un ritmo diario y comienzan alrededor de las 355 A.M. La mayor parte de los adultos alados emprende vuelo en un término de 2 minutos. Las hembras fecundadas contienen de 69 à 186 millones de espermatozoides; las vesículas seminales de los machos contienen de 65 a 130 millones.

     

Ultrastructural characterization of the ovarian stages of the worker bee, Apis mellifera mellifera Linné (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

The classification of the ovarian stages remains still vague. The ultrastructure of the basal follicle made it possible to solve this problem. From the sixth to the eighth day of the worker bee's adult life, the length of the ovariole hardly exceeds 2 mm. The basal oocytes of stages 1 and 2 are characterized by the presence of many ranges of granules encircled by the dilated cylinders of the granular endoplasmic reticulum. These cylinders decondensate the proteinic granules and the lipidic globules generating multivesicular bodies. The basal oocyte, at the third stage of development, measures 0.35+/-0.05 mm in length. This stage of the previtellogenesis' end is characterized by the appearance, in the ooplasm, of many tubules, whose dilated end constitutes a lysosome. At the beginning of the second week, vitellogenesis starts. Stage 4 is defined by the appearance, in the ooplasm, of the yellow granules in relationship to the tubular formations. At the 14th to 16th days of the adult life, 25+/-7.1% of the worker bees reach the end vitellogenesis, or stage 5. The ovariole, about 7 mm in length, contains 11 follicles. This stage 5 is distinguished by the synthesis from the vitelline membrane, the regression of the size of yellow granules and the accessory cores. The sixth stage or oocyte maturation is reached by 12.5+/-3.5% of the workers aged 18 to 20 days. It is defined by the presence of the chorion, the dissolution of the yellow granules, the disappearance of the accessory nuclei and the total degeneration of the follicular cells.     

The importance of odor in nest site selection by a lodger bee, Centris Bicornuta Mocsáry (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the dry forest of Costa Rica

The more common lodger bee occurring in the dry forest of Costa Rica, Centris bicornuta Muscáry), has been observed nesting in new nest cavities drilled into wooden blocks placed next to cavities used by another female within 2-3 days. In contrast, new nest cavities placed in similar areas with no nesting Centris nearby were not used for weeks. These observations suggest that the presence of nesting bees may play a role in nest site selection. To confirm our observations, new nest cavities were placed in areas with or without nesting. We found nest initiation in newly placed nest cavities only in areas where bees were actively nesting. To examine the possibility that nesting locations are not unique, we placed new nest cavities in new locations either with (a) a number of completed nest cavities or (b) placed alone. Within three days we only found bees nesting in the newly placed nest cavities in situation "a". The results suggested that odor might be involved. We next compared nesting in new cavities placed alone with cavities contaminated with either (a) nest entrance plug material, (b) nest nectar, (c) nest pollen or (d) a combination of pollen and nectar. Nesting was significantly low in cavities placed next to cavities with nest entrance plug material (a), and high in cavities placed next to cavities "b, c, or d". The results suggest that pollen and /or nectar odor play a role in the location of potential nest sites.     

Ecological notes onFormica subnitens Creighton (Hymenoptera: Formicidæ)

Summary At Westbank, British Columbia, nests ofFormica subnitens Creighton were covered with detritus domes and were found only in unshaded areas. The foraging area of a colony averaged approximately 2.500 square feet and had one or more ant trails. Reproduction of sexuals commenced in April and the adults emerged about mid June. Sexual flights occurred between 8 and 10 a.m. Worker castes were produced from June to August. Worker ants foraged between soil surface temperatures of 51° and 125° F. from April to October. The ant lived largely on other insects and aphid secretions, the latter being taken in small quantities in the spring but making up over 50 per cent of the food by mid summer. F. subnitens apparently did not prey onChrysolina gemellata (Rossi), a chrysomelid imported in an attempt to control common St. John's-wort,Hypericum perforatum L.

---

Résumé En Colombie Britannique, à Westbank,Formica subnitens sont couverts de dômes de détritus et se trouvent seulement dans les zones sans ombre. La surface de récolte d'une colonie s'étend à peu prés sur 230 m et présente une ou plusieurs pistes de fourmis. La production des sexués commence en avril et les adultes quittent la fourmilière au milieu de juin. Les vols sexuels se produisent le matin, entre 8 et 10 heures. Les ouvrières sont produites de juin à août. Elles récoltent d'avril à octobre, lorsque la température au niveau du sol est comprise entre 10 et 50°C. Les fourmis vivent beaucoup aux dépens d'autres Insectes et des sécrétions d'Aphides; celles-ci sont prises en petite quantité au printemps; mais ces quantités augmentent ensuite jusqu'à constituer 50% de la nourriture au milieu de l'été. F. subnitens ne se nourrit apparemment pas deChrysolina gemellata, Chrysomélid importé pour détruireHypericum perforatum.

---

---

Contribution No.3481, Entomology Division, Science Service, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Canada.     

The nest architecture of the ant, Pheidole oxyops Forel, 1908 （Hymenoptera： Formicidae）

Pheidole oxyops builds subterranean nests, with an external architecture that is distinctive and easily recognizable by its wide and specific entrance hole, measuring up to 12.2 cm in diameter, denoting a pitfall-trap. In order to study the nests＇ internal architecture, seven nests were excavated; four were identified with neutral talc, while the others were cast in cement and then excavated. Measurements were made in order to gain a better understand- ing of their structures, and a photographic documentation was obtained as well. The excavations revealed that the nests are perpendicular relative to the ground, beginning with a cylindrical channel with a mean length of 13.5 cm, containing irregular formations, and whose diameter becomes progressively narrower until the first chamber is formed. As the channel continues, dish-like chambers appear, interconnected by channels that become progressively narrower and longer, while the chambers are arranged at greater distances from each other as nest depth increases. Both channels and chambers are located on the vertical projection of the entrance hole. Nests may reach a depth of up to 5.09 m, with a number of chambers ranging between 4 and 14.     

Impacts of forest fragmentation on orchid bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) communities in the Chocó biodiversity hotspot of northwest Ecuador

Habitat loss is a major driver of bee declines worldwide, and is of key relevance in the tropics given high deforestation rates, but we continue to have a poor understanding of the impact of land-cover change on tropical bee communities. Orchid bees (Apidae: Euglossini) are critical long-distance pollinators and may be highly susceptible to forest fragmentation given their reliance on forest habitat. Previous studies on the impact of forest fragmentation on euglossines have been geographically limited, have largely ignored β-diversity, and have not compared fragments with continuous forest. To contribute to addressing these gaps, we sampled male euglossine bees in 18 forest fragments (area range: 2.5–33 ha) and at eight locations within a large (3500 ha) continuous forest in the Chocó biodiversity hotspot of Ecuador during the dry season in 2014. We assessed how euglossine abundance, richness, and evenness related to fragment area, isolation, and edge:area ratio. We also compared fragments to continuous forest, in terms of α- and β-diversity. In fragments, a single species (Euglossa tridentata) comprised 78% of captures, and we found no significant effect of fragment area, isolation, or edge on abundance, richness, or evenness among fragments. Forest fragments and continuous forest differed in both community composition and evenness, but not in abundance or species richness. Spatial turnover (β-diversity) showed a non-significant trend toward changing more rapidly in continuous forest relative to fragments. These results underscore the conservation value of continuous forest for orchid bee diversity.     

Philopatry, nest choice, and aggregation temporal–spatial change in the digger wasp Cerceris arenaria (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)

Studying temporal and spatial changes of aggregations of digger wasps through nesting seasons is interesting because of its link to social evolution via a semi-social pathway, but information about this topic is scarce. An aggregation of Cerceris arenaria Latreille was studied during 1997–1999 and for a short period in 2001. The colony grew in area and number of nests through the first three seasons, but the aggregation reduced in 2001, and this decrease was confirmed by a count of nests made in 2003 and 2005. The positions of the nest entrances remained almost constant over the years, at least in high-nest-density areas, because of the repeated use of the same burrows from which they emerged. This fact permits the population to exploit for many years a restricted area and could act as a nest-density-regulation method for fossorial species that rarely dig new nests, preventing an excessive nest density. The newly emerged females did not dig new nests, showed a high philopatry in the choice of their first nest, and preferred to look for other nests to occupy close to the ones recently abandoned (mainly for an undergone usurpation by a conspecific female). Philopatry, along with lack of new nest digging and position-dependent nest choice, is probably an important factor maintaining spatial stability of the aggregation through the years and could represent a first step in the evolution of a higher sociality in apoid burrowing Hymenoptera.     

What's in that package? An evaluation of quality of package honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) shipments in the United States

To replace deceased colonies or to increase the colony numbers, beekeepers often purchase honey bees, Apis mellifera L., in a package, which is composed of 909-1,364 g (2-3 lb) of worker bees and a mated queen. Packages are typically produced in warm regions of the United States in spring and shipped throughout the United States to replace colonies that perished during winter. Although the package bee industry is effective in replacing colonies lost in winter, packages also can be an effective means of dispersing diseases, parasites, and undesirable stock to beekeepers throughout the United States. To evaluate the quality of packages, we examined 48 packages representing six lines of bees purchased in the spring 2006. We estimated levels of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman and the percentage of drone (male) honey bees received in packages. We surveyed for presence of the tracheal honey bee mite, Acarapis woodi (Rennie), and a microsporidian parasite, Nosema spp., in the shipped bees. We found significant differences in both the mean Varroa mite per bee ratios (0.004-0.054) and the average percentage of drones (0.04-5.1%) in packages from different producers. We found significant differences in the number of Nosema-infected packages (0.0-75.0%) among the six lines. No packages contained detectable levels ofA. woodi. Considering the observed variability among honey bee packages, beekeepers should be aware of the potential for pest and disease infestations and high drone levels in packages.     

Facultative social parasitism in the allodapine bee Macrogalea berentyensis

Previous research on social parasitism has largely ignored allodapine social parasites, which is surprising given the huge potential of these bees to provide a better understanding of social parasitism. Macrogalea berentyensis, a species that was previously suggested to be a social parasite, was collected in nests of M. ellioti, and also in nests consisting of only M. berentyensis. These f＇mdings, along with morphological and phylogenetic evidence, show that this species is a facultative social parasite. In the independently living M. berentyensis nests, brood were present that had been reared to an advanced stage, suggesting that： （i） these parasites may be effective at foraging and caring for their brood; or （ii） these nests may be colonies where all the hosts had died, and these parasites had yet to disperse. Macrogalea berentyensis is the closest relative of the facultative social parasite, M. antanosy, and both these species represent the most recent evolutionary origin of social parasitism within the allodapines. Further behavioral research on both these parasitic species would therefore have important implications for the understanding of the evolution of social parasitism.     

Diversity of social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Cerrado fragments of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Studies of species survey are important to know the available natural resources and to get useful information about the ecological characteristics of a specific area. There are not studies, on this issue, related to social wasps, in the Triangulo Mineiro region. The present study describes the diversity of species found in fragments of the cerrado region in Uberlandia, MG, and their temporal distribution. The field study was conducted from October 2003 to September 2004, and 43 samplings were carried out using active searching (24) and point sampling (19) methodologies. Twenty-nine species were found in 10 genera, Polybia and Polistes corresponding to 51.5% of the total listing. Mischocyttarus cerberus styx Richards represented 26.5% of the total individuals recorded by active searching and Agelaia pallipes (Olivier) corresponded to 57.6% by point sampling. Two species had their first record for the state of Minas Gerais: Polybia striata (Fabricius) and M. cerberus styx. The studied fragments presented a high level of diversity (H' = 0.66 to 1.16), a large number of rare species and a few common species. To collect the more common species the point sampling method was satisfactory while active searching was better to collect the rarer species. The active searching methodology was more efficient than point sampling, however some species could only be collected by point sampling. These factors showed that in order to carry out a wasp survey, a combination of different collection methodologies seems to be more appropriate.