Nesting biology of Centris (Paracentris) burgdorfi (Apidae: Centridini)

William O. Sabino, Isabel Alves-dos-Santos, Elisa Pereira Queiroz, Letícia Biral de Faria, Daniel R. Papaj, Stephen L. Buchmann, Cláudia Inês da Silva

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

We describe the nesting biology of Centris (Paracentris) burgdorfi, a solitary bee that nests in sandstone in northeastern Brazil. The nest consists of a shallow tunnel with access to the brood cells. Females of C. burgdorfi made 1–7 brood cells per nest with each cell requiring 2.58 ± 0.40 ((Formula presented.) ± SD) days to construct. The average cell-building construction time was longer when compared to other Centris species. Females were larger than males, and this difference was reflected in the size of their respective emergence cells. The temperature within C. burgdorfi nests was lower when compared to ambient temperature. Our study is the first to report the nesting biology of C. burgdorfi. The detailed behavior of the female inside the nest was also described, which is unusual in the study of solitary bee nesting biology.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)817-827
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Apicultural Research
Volume60
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • foraging behavior
  • nesting behavior
  • oil-collecting bees
  • sex ratios
  • solitary bees

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Insect Science

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