Seasonal change in offspring sex and size in Dawson's burrowing bees (Amegilla dawsoni) (Hymenoptera: Anthophorini)

Abstract.  1. Nesting females of Dawson's burrowing bees, Amegilla dawsoni , produce a large size class of offspring, which includes daughters and major sons, and a small size class, which consists entirely of minor sons averaging half the weight of their larger siblings. Female allocation patterns change over the flight season such that the initial pattern of producing daughters shifts toward the production of both daughters and major sons in the middle of the season, and then the production of primarily minor sons in the latter part of the nesting season.
2. In Dawson's burrowing bees, this pattern is correlated with declines in pollen and nectar availability as the nesting season progresses as well as a heightened risk of dying before the final brood cell is completed. Here, the relation between these factors and the provisioning tactics of nesting Dawson's burrowing bees is discussed.