Interactions in Colonies of Primitively Social Bees: Artificial Colonies of Lasioglossum zephyrum.

摘要: Abstract Lasioglossum zephyrum usually lives in small colonies but is facultatively solitary. Lone bees and produced from female pupae of the same generation were established artificial indoor nests. Both length prereproductive period number cells per bee day decreased with increasing colony size. In most colonies, ovarially behaviorally recognized castes arose, a queen workers, all intergradations. The mean size queens was larger than that workers. Nearly mated although few workers did so rooms males, mating had no effect on subsequent behavior or ovarian development. groups diverse age there tendency for oldest to be queens; also average equal age, largest often queen. As would expected scarcely social species, mechanisms integration (resulting division labor differentiation castes) mostly appear involve behavioral features solitary ancestors accidental results joint occupancy There evidence direct food pheromone transfer among adult bees.