Bioecology and Domiciliation of the Alkali Bee, Hoplonomia westwoodi (Gribodo, 1894) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae: Nomiinae) from India

Abstract

We describe here nesting biology of Hoplonomia westwoodi, a common ground nesting solitary bee in India. A typical nest consisted of a straight main tunnel with the cells arranged horizontally at the end. Number of cells per nest ranged from 2 to 4 (x̄ = 2.67). Polypropylene bag and pot culture studies, to evaluate soil types preferred by the bees for nesting, showed that red soil + FYM (1:1) was the most preferred substrate with an average of 12.67 nests/bag. Maximum foraging activity was between 8:00 -13:00 hours. Though H. westwoodi bees were active throughout the year, higher foraging activity was observed between March to June. The species being polylectic, foraged on flowers of several families including Myrtaceae, Lamiaceae, Portulacaceae, Convolvulaceae, Lythraceae, Meliaceae, Rubiaceae, Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Malvaceae. A cleptoparasite, Eupetersia sp. was observed in the nests of H. westwoodi, which is the first record of Eupetersia sp. parasitisation on the genus Hoplonomia.

Keywords

• Alkali bees
• Apoidea
• Hoplonomia westwoodi
• seasonality
• host plants