Notes on the nesting ecology of the <i>Megachile</i> bees from North India

Kunjwal, Neha; Khan, M. S.; Kumar, Gaurava; Srivastava, Prem S.

doi:10.1080/00218839.2020.1774151

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Grewia asiatica was the predominant pollen grain species found in the brood cells of M. cephalotes, followed by Alhagi graecorum and Parkinsonia aculeata. Megachile cephalotes exhibited a wider range of plant interactions [106]. The yellow flowers of G. asiatica are zygomorphic with a good "side on" advertisement [107].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nesting Biology and Ecology of a Resin Bee, Megachile cephalotes (Megachilidae: Hymenoptera)

Akram

Sajjad

Ghramh

et al. 2022

Insects

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We report the nesting biology and ecology of Megachile cephalotes Smith, 1853 for the first time in Pakistan. Wooden and bamboo trap nests were deployed at three different locations in Bahawalpur district, Pakistan, from January 2020 to May 2021. A total of 242 nests of M. cephalotes were occupied in all three locations with the maximum abundance in the Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies. Megachile cephalotes remained active from March to September (the spring and summer seasons). In a nest, females made 7–8 brood cells each having a length of 1.2–2.3 cm. Plant resin was used to construct cells and mud or animal dung to plug the nest entrance. A vestibular cell was also made between the outermost brood cell and the nest entrance that ranged from 1.4 to 2.5 cm in length. No intercalary cells were observed in the nests. The males took 65.3 days to become adults, while the females took 74.78 days. The sex ratio was significantly biased toward females in all three locations. Grewia asiatica was the predominant pollen grain species found in the brood cells. Megachile cephalotes were observed collecting resin from Acacia nilotica, Prosopis juliflora, and Moringa oleifera. Three cleptoparasites of this species were also recorded: Euaspis carbonaria, Coelioxys sp., and Anthrax sp. This study set up a background to encourage new studies on artificial nesting and provides tools for proper biodiversity management and conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nesting Biology and Ecology of a Resin Bee, Megachile cephalotes (Megachilidae: Hymenoptera)

Akram

Sajjad

Ghramh

et al. 2022

Insects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…2019, Kunjwal et al. 2020) employed community‐wide, observational approaches. All these studies surveyed plants for evidence of leaf clipping events, serving as proxies for female choice.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Higher constancy in resource use likely increases foraging efficiency (Michener 1953, Kunjwal et al. 2020), but it remains unclear why leafcutter bees employed some nesting materials with greater constancy than others. Future work examining a broader variety of mechanical, chemical, and other properties of plant tissues (Horne 1995) underlying nest building material selection could clarify this question.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%