Nesting ecology of the wasp Sceliphron destillatorium (Illiger, 1807) (Hymenoptera,Sphecidae) in the Crimea

The nests of Sceliphron destillatorium in the Crimea were mainly built in attic spaces of houses and in various uninhabited buildings, and consisted of 3–39 (on average 16.5) cells. Twelve species of spiders from 11 genera of 4 families with predomination of Araneidae and Oxyopidae were recorded as prey. One nest cell contained 4–13 (on average 7.9) spiders, mostly adult ones. Successful development of S. destillatorium progeny was recorded in 48.6% of the cells; 26.5% of the progeny died from parasites: Amobia pelopei (16.0%), Chrysis taczanovskyi (4.3%), and Melittobia acasta (6.2%); 24.9% of the progeny died for unknown causes at the egg (13.0%) or prepupal (11.9%) stage. Nests of 17 other wasp and bee species from the families Pompilidae (2 species), Vespidae (4), Colletidae (1), and Megachilidae (10 species) were found in abandoned nest cells of S. destillatorium. The abundance of S. destillatorium has noticeably decreased in the last ten years, possibly due to immigration of a congener, S. curvatum, which has more diverse trophic links and a significantly higher rate of nesting success.     

Nesting and Biology of Alastor mocsaryi (Hymenoptera,Vespidae: Eumeninae)

Entomological Review - The nest structure of Alastor mocsaryi in trap nests was studied in Crimea. Fifteen nests were examined, located inside hollow reed stems 3.0–4.8 mm in inner diameter....     

Aculeate Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera,Aculeata) Inhabiting Trap Nests in Crimea

Entomological Review - Trap nests for aculeate Hymenoptera were exposed during 15 years (2002–2016) in 80 localities of Crimea. A total of more than 500 trap nests containing about 25 000...     

Nesting and Biology of Eustenancistrocerus amadanensis (Hymenoptera,Vespidae, Eumeninae)

Entomological Review - The nest structure of Eustenancistrocerus amadanensis was studied in Crimea. Females nested in the ground, in level or gently sloping spots with sparse vegetation. The soil...     

Nesting and biology of Jucancistrocerus caspicus (hymenoptera,vespidae, eumeninae)

Females of Jucancistrocerus caspicus nest in dense clay ground on the vertical surface of cliffs. The nests contain 1–9 cells (on average 2.8) and have a linear-branched construction. Females surmount the entrance of the burrow with a curved chimney which has a laced structure. The cells are positioned vertically in the main burrow and obliquely or horizontally in the lateral tunnels; the cells in a row are separated with double partitions. The size of the cells is 7–9 × 4–4.5 mm, the diameter of the nest burrow is 4 mm. The egg is laid before provisioning and is attached to the cell ceiling with a filament. Females hunt for weevil larvae and store 23–33 larvae (on average 27.8) in each cell. The species is univoltine, with prepupae hibernating in their cocoons. The nests are parasitized by the cuckoo wasps Chrysis rutilans which cause 11.5% of brood mortality. Adult wasps are killed by the spiders Pholcus sp. living near the nests.     

Nesting Biology of the Bee Hoplitis princeps (Morawitz) (Hymenoptera,Megachilidae) in Crimea

Bionomics of Hoplitis princeps (Morawitz) was studied in Crimea. The species is confined to coastal psammophytic habitats and has one generation per year. Females nest in sand and excavate burrows near roots of various plants. The nests consist of 1 or rarely 2 cells arranged either side by side or one by one; one nest with 3 cells made by two different females was also discovered. The building material was masticated leaves of Astragalus varius subsp. eupatoricus Sytin; the provision was pollen and nectar from the same plant species. The cleptoparasitic bee Stelis aculeata Morawitz was discovered in the nests. The differences in the nest structure between H. princeps and a closely related species H. fulva (Eversmann) are discussed. The need for conservation of the H. princeps habitat in Crimea is substantiated.

     

The nesting biology of the bee, Osmia dimidiata Morawitz, 1870 (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) in the Crimea

The structure and composition of Osmia dimidiata nests were studied based on the material of 133 nests obtained from trap-nests in five localities of the Crimea. The nests contained from 1 to 9 cells (on average, 2.2), separated with partitions made of masticated leaves. Most of the cells had a massive hemispherical bottom and a thin flat cover. The final plug had a structure similar to the cell bottom. The cells occurred singly in the nest cavity or were arranged in rows of 2 or 3 cells separated by galleries. The diameter of the occupied cavities was positively correlated with the fraction of the females in the progeny and with the mass of the cocoons, but negatively correlated with the cell length. The cells with females were 1.5 times as long as those with males. The cocoons with females were twice as heavy as those with males. The peculiar characters of the nest structure of O. dimidiata may mean that the typical nesting substrates of this species are abandoned cells of other bee and wasp species. The characteristic mechanism of estimating the mass of the pollen loaf stored in the cells and determining the brood sex ratio has evolved in the O. dimidiata due to its tenantry. This mechanism is based on two constants: the sex-linked cell length and the fixed distance between the pollen loaf and the cell cover. When choosing the nesting cavities, the female prefers broader and longer tubes for cells with females and narrower and shorter ones for cells with males. The overall sex ratio of the progeny was male-biased (1 ♀: 2.5 ♂) and depended on the food supply abundance. The adults of O. dimidiata fly in the Crimea from the last decade of May until the end of July. Hibernation occurs at the adult stage in the cocoons. Females collect pollen from flowers of Asteraceae or, rarely, Fabaceae. The nests may be destroyed by Melittobia acasta, Monodontomerus aereus, M. obscurus, Sapyga quinquepunctata, Stelis phaeoptera, and Trichodes apiarius; 21% of the progeny died from these enemies, and 22%, due to other factors. The previously proposed synonymy of Pseudosmia taurica Radoszkowski, 1874 (nec Osmia taurica Radoszkowski, 1887) and O. dimidiata is rejected.     

The nest structure in four wasp species of the genus Euodynerus Dalla Torre (Hymenoptera, Vespidae: Eumeninae)

A comparative analysis of the main parameters of the nest structure and composition in Euodynerus quadrifasciatus, Eu. dantici, Eu. disconotatus, and Eu. velutinus in the Crimea is given. Nests of all the studied species were obtained from trap-nests made of reed stems; the nests of Eu. dantici and Eu. disconotatus were additionally obtained from the abandoned cells of the nests of Sceliphron destillatorium. The nest of Eu. quadrifasciatus consists of a consecutive row of cells, each cell having its own bottom and lid with empty space between them; the nests of three other species consist of an uninterrupted row of cells without spaces, so that the cell bottoms act as partitions. The data on the diameter and length of nest cavities occupied by the studied species, the number of cells in nests, the sex ratio and the length of the cells with prospective females and males are reported. The correlations between the length of the cells and the diameter of the occupied cavities and between the length of the rear empty nest space and vestibule and the length of the occupied nest cavity are analyzed. The structure of cocoons and final nest plugs are described. The difference in the evolution of nest building instincts in members of the subgenera Pareuodynerus and Euodynerus s. str. and the role of adaptation to nest tenantry in the evolution of nest building instincts of Eu. dantici and Eu. disconotatus are discussed.     

First Data on the Bionomics of the Solitary Wasp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptochilus membranaceus</Emphasis> (Morawitz) (Hymenoptera,Vespidae: Eumeninae)

The bionomics of Leptochilus membranaceus (Morawitz) was studied in Crimea. The species is confined to herbaceous xerophytic habitats with sparse vegetation and has two generations per year. Adult feeding was recorded on flowers of 8 plant species of 6 families. A single nest was found in an old acridid egg pod in clayey soil. The inner cavity of the empty egg pod was 12 mm long and 3 mm wide. The nest contained one cell with a prepupa in the cocoon. The cell was sealed with a final plug 2 mm thick, made of gravel and mud. The cocoon consisted of three equal thin layers, the outer layer being firmly attached to the cell walls. Females of L. membranaceus do not visit water sources. The origin of the agent bonding the building material (soil) used by L. membranaceus and other congeneric species is discussed. In addition, nests of Ancistrocerus scoticus (Curtis) are also discussed; these nests occur in old acridid egg pods which were earlier misinterpreted as bottle-shaped cells built by the wasps themselves.     

Modes of colony foundation by females of different morphotypes in the paper wasps (Hymenoptera,Vespidae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polistes</Emphasis> Latr.)

Paper wasps of the genus Polistes exhibit wide variability both of the color and size of foundresses, and the mode of colony foundation. The colony foundation and social hierarchy were studied in populations of two Palaearctic species, Polistes dominulus (Christ) and P. nimphus (Christ) (April–May 2006, the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine), and one Neotropical species, P. lanio (F.) (October 2004–January 2005, Trinidad Island). It was shown that foundresses of various color and size morphs tended to found nests in a peculiar way: singly (haplometrosis), by groups (pleometrosis), or occupying several nests simultaneously (polycaly). The relationship between coloration, size, and mode of colony foundation was species-specific. P. dominulus foundresses with a darker clypeus and a paler mesonotum preferred to found nests alone and had a dominant position in pleometrosis. The haplometrotic P. nimphus foundresses more often displayed darker variants of the clypeus and paler variants of the mesonotum than did foundresses from pleometrotic colonies. P. lanio foundresses from pleometrotic colonies differed from those from polycalic colonies in the coloration variability of the scutum, propodeum, and the 2nd metasomal tergite. The dominant and subordinate P. nimphus and P. lanio foundresses differed in the size of head and wings. The possible significance of the subdivision of foundresses into the “generalists” and “specialists” for the variability structuring in the population is considered.