Communal Nesting in a North American Pearly-Banded Bee, Nomia tetrazonata , with Notes on Nesting Behavior of Dieunomia heteropoda (Hymenoptera: Halictidae: Nomiinae)

Author： WCISLO WILLIAM T.

Publisher： Entomological Society of America

ISSN： 1938-2901

Source： Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Vol.86, Iss.6, 1993-11, pp. : 813-821

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Abstract

Information on the biology of the ground-nesting bee, Nomia tetrazonata Cockerell, provides the first documentation of large, multifemale nests in a North American nomiine bee. Females nest in aggregations of loosely clumped nests, and from 1 to at least 20 females actively provision cells in a single nest on the same days. Nests are parasitized by a cuckoo bee, Triepeolus verbesinae (Cockerell) (Nomadinae), but parasitism rates are low (<2%). information="" is="" also="" given="" on="" nest="" architecture,="" provisioning="" behavior,="" and="" diel="" and="" seasonal="" activity.="" comparable="" information="" is="" also="" provided="" for="" a="" solitary="" species,="">Dieunomia heteropoda (Say), females of which are pollen specialists on Helianthus petiolaris. The provision masses of these mostly solitary bees are parasitized by another cuckoo bee, Triepeolus distinctus (Cresson). The discussion summarizes behavioral data on nomiine bees which may provide useful systematic characters.