Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Cavity-nesting bees and wasps lay eggs in hollow stems or other pre-made cavities and provision their larvae with food to overwinter until their emergence in spring. To observe nesting patterns, we placed nesting boxes containing “bee tubes” made of hollow reeds in five locations around the SUNY Geneseo campus. We photographed the tubes once a week over the summer, as the tubes were gradually sealed off by insects to form larval cells. We noted the type of material used to fill the tubes and analyzed the trends in the phenology and site preferences of the various fill types using the photographic record. The bee tubes were allowed to overwinter and then, over the spring of 2024, the bee tubes were dissected and observations were made to identify the immature occupants based on their morphology and the materials used to provision the young. This fall, we pinned the voucher specimens and identified them using the online tool “Discover Life”. Some of the commonly observed bee taxa in the tubes include Megachile pugnata, Megachile rotundata, Megachile relativa, and Osmia caerulescens. Wasps were also common occupants of the tubes, including taxa such as the grass-carrying wasp Isodontia mexicana, the spider predator Trypoxylon sp., and the potter wasp Ancistrocerus capra. In this study, we connected the identities of occupants to the cavity fill type, site preferences, and timing of occupation. This information gives us a better understanding of our local native bee and wasp ecology and the conservation efforts necessary to support their populations.
Recommended Citation
Lingenfelter, Julia; Stang, Sophia; and Wick, Carly, "206 - Identities and Nesting Patterns of Cavity-Nesting Bees and Wasps" (2025). GREAT Day Posters. 59.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2025/posters-2025/59
206 - Identities and Nesting Patterns of Cavity-Nesting Bees and Wasps
Cavity-nesting bees and wasps lay eggs in hollow stems or other pre-made cavities and provision their larvae with food to overwinter until their emergence in spring. To observe nesting patterns, we placed nesting boxes containing “bee tubes” made of hollow reeds in five locations around the SUNY Geneseo campus. We photographed the tubes once a week over the summer, as the tubes were gradually sealed off by insects to form larval cells. We noted the type of material used to fill the tubes and analyzed the trends in the phenology and site preferences of the various fill types using the photographic record. The bee tubes were allowed to overwinter and then, over the spring of 2024, the bee tubes were dissected and observations were made to identify the immature occupants based on their morphology and the materials used to provision the young. This fall, we pinned the voucher specimens and identified them using the online tool “Discover Life”. Some of the commonly observed bee taxa in the tubes include Megachile pugnata, Megachile rotundata, Megachile relativa, and Osmia caerulescens. Wasps were also common occupants of the tubes, including taxa such as the grass-carrying wasp Isodontia mexicana, the spider predator Trypoxylon sp., and the potter wasp Ancistrocerus capra. In this study, we connected the identities of occupants to the cavity fill type, site preferences, and timing of occupation. This information gives us a better understanding of our local native bee and wasp ecology and the conservation efforts necessary to support their populations.
Comments
Sponsored by Jennifer Apple