Nesting cavity diameter has implications for management of the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).

ABSTRACT: Body size influences performance in many bee species and may be influenced by nesting cavity diameter in cavity-nesting bees. Megachile rotundata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) is a commercially-managed, solitary cavity-nesting bee. In M. rotundata body size has low heritability and is strongly influenced by the size of the larval provision and the diameter of the nesting cavity. Commercial nesting boxes have cavities that are 7 mm in diameter. Our goal was to examine the effects that nesting cavity diameter has on M. rotundata body size and performance by manipulating the size of cavities that are available for nesting. We provided bees with nesting cavities that ranged in size from 4 to 9 millimeters in 1 mm increments. To assess body size we measured mass and intertegular span.

SUBMITTER: Rinehart JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10860157 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature