The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 27 Number 1 - Spring 1995 Number 1 - Spring 1995 Article 5 April 1995 Phenology and Trap Selection of Three Species of Hylaeus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) in Upper Michigan Virginia L. Scott Michigan State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Scott, Virginia L. 1995. "Phenology and Trap Selection of Three Species of Hylaeus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) in Upper Michigan," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 27 (1) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol27/iss1/5 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at [email protected]. Scott: Phenology and Trap Selection of Three Species of <i>Hylaeus</i> ( 1994 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOlOGIST 39 PHENOLOGY AND TRAP SELECTION OF THREE SPECIES OF HYLAEUS (HYMENOPTERA: COLLETIDAE) IN UPPER MICHIGAN Virginia L Scotti ,2 ABSTRACT Hylaeus basalis, H. ellipticus and H. verticalis nested in wooden traps during a two-year study in Upper Michigan. Bees were given a choice of traps with varying bore diameters, heights, and entrance orientations. Nests were completed between 1 July and 15 September. These three Hylaeus species partitioned available nest site resources (traps) based on diameter and height. H. ellipticus selected traps with smaller bore diameters than did the other two species which selected traps of the same bore diameters. H. verticalis nested in traps at higher locations than H. basalis which limited its nesting to only the two lowest heights available. Entrance orientation had no effect on trap selection by any of the species. Seasonal differences in choice of traps are discussed. Nesting biologies of some groups of solitary bees have been reported in detail, while other groups remain relatively unstudied. The lack of biological information on North American Hylaeus may be attributed to several factors. The most obvious of these is their small size which makes field observation difficult. Unlike all other North American bee genera these relatively hairless bees carry pollen internally, and thus have not been included in pollination studies. In addition, the genus continues to have a reputation for taxonomic problems despite the excellent contributions of Snelling (1966a, 1966b, 1966c, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1983). Information on nest site selection of North American Hylaeus is mostly limited to short papers or notes based on few nests (Davidson 1895, Rau 1922, 1930; Hicks 1926; Brandhorst 1962; Fye 1965a, 1965b; Medler 1966; Krom­ bein 1967; Eickwort 1973; Barrows 1975; Tepedino 1980; Torchio 1984). From these, we know that North American Hylaeus nest in pithy stems including Rhus and Sambucus. Some species nest in other cavities such as abandoned galls or old mason bee (Osmia) cells. Rarely, they nest underground as in abandoned halictid burrows. Because of their cavity nesting haoit, some spe­ cies will accept trap-nests. A trap-nesting study in Upper Michigan was undertaken to gather basic information on the nesting biology of Hylaeus basalis (Smith), H. ellipticus (Kirby), and H. verticalis (Cresson). Since these three species all nest in traps, the following questions were raised. Do these three species partition the pro­ vided traps in some way? If so, what role does nesting phenology, and the trap IDepartment of Entomology. Michigan State University. East Lansing. Michigan 4882~-1l15. Present Address: University of Colorado Museum. Campus Box 218. Boulder, CO 80309-0218. Published by ValpoScholar, 1995 1 The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 27, No. 1 [1995], Art. 5 40 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 27, No.1 variables of bore diameter, height and entrance orientation play in trap selec­ tion? The focus of this portion of the Hylaeus study will be to determine if each of these three species select only a certain subset of traps provided and what factors contribute to any observed differences. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study took place during the sununers of 1984 and 1985 in Dickinson and Iron Counties in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Five study sites, C5 (T,42N, R.31W, S.14), CH (T,43N, R,30W, S.18), CL (T,43N, R,30W, S.19), F1 (T,43N, R,29W, S.14). and F2 (T,43N, R,29W, S.14) were open fields bordered by sec­ ond growth forest. Trap-nests (traps) consisted of white pine blocks (19 X 19 X 150 nun) in which a single hole was drilled lengthwise to a depth of roughly 125 nun. Six drill bits (4.5, 5.2, 6.0, 7.2, 9.4, and 11.0 mm) were used to provide a variety of bore diameters. Twelve traps were bound with plastic strapping into a bundle so that one trap of each bore diameter faced each direction and no two trap entrances were adjoining. In April, well before nesting began, four bundles of traps were randomly placed crosswise on each shelf of four-shelved wooden hutches located along the field edges. Shelf heights measured roughly 0.1, 0,4, 0.8, and 1.1 m above ground level. A small roof covered the uppermost shelf of each hutch to pro­ tect traps from rain and provide shade. During 1984, four hutches were placed at each site. During 1985, six hutches were placed at all sites, except CH, which continued to have four. In all cases the hutches were grouped in pairs so that one hutch had trap entrances facing east and west while the other had trap entrances facing north and south. Data on bore diameter, height, and entrance orientation were recorded for each Hylaeus nest. During 1984, complete nests were removed from the hut­ ches as soon as a nest cap was noticed and replaced with an empty trap. Incomplete nests (without nest caps) were collected at the end of the summer. During 1985, all traps were checked for Hylaeus nesting activity at 9-to 12­ day intervals by reflecting sunlight into the tunnels with a mirror. Nest con­ tents or presence of nest caps were noted for all nests. During 1985. complete nests were left in the bundles at the hutches until after the first hard freeze (11 September 1985). All nests from both nesting seasons were stored for the winter in an unheated garage near site CH. Completed nests constructed during 1985 are divided into two categories, early season and late season nests. Early season nests were completed before 22 July 1985. Late season nests were completed on or after 22 July 1985. Completion dates were used since beginning dates were difficult to detect, and thus not accurate. Statistical analyses include log-likelihood (G) contingency tables and Chi­ 2 square (x ) goodness of fit tests (Zar, 1984). G contingency tables were used to compare yearly differences in trap selection for each bee species. If years did not differ significantly from each other, data from the two years were com­ bined. This analysis was also used to compare trap selection among species. Before data from the five study sites were combined, G tests were conducted to insure that data from the different study sites were not significantly differ­ ent (a> 0.05). Chi-square goodness of fit tests were performed to determine whether trap selection by each species was significantly different from an equal distribution. https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol27/iss1/5 2 Scott: Phenology and Trap Selection of Three Species of <i>Hylaeus</i> ( 1994 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOlOGIST 41 Sites • C5 -o • CH I­ (]) • CL ..0 E o F1 ::::s o F2 Z 1984 1985 1984 1985 1984 1985 H. basalis H. el/ipticus H. verticalis Figure 1. Number of nests completed by three Hylaeus species during two years at five study sites in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. RESULTS During the two-year study, H. basalis completed 26 nests (13 during each year), H. ellipticus completed 203 nests (83 in 1984 and 120 in 1985), and H. verticalis completed 163 nests (73 in 1984 and 90 in 1985). In this study, it appears that female Hylaeus often constructed more than one nest during the nesting season, since new nests were periodically started throughout the sum­ mer despite the fact that all three species were univoltine. Phenology: Hylaeus basalis, the largest species to nest (female thorax diameter = 2.66 mID, N = 31), nested at only some of the study sites (Fig. 1). lt was present at sites CL and F2 both years and at site Fl during 1984. It was entirely lacking from sites C5 and CR. When present, this species nested in small groups at only one or two hutches. ThIS species completed nests between 9 July and 13 August, with a peak on 22 July 1985 (Fig. 2). Hylaeus ellipticus was the smallest species to nest (female thorax diam­ eter = 1.89 mID, N = 41). This species nested at all sites and generally com­ pleted the most nests of any of the Hylaeus species at each site (Fig. 1). This species completed nests from 1 July to 15 September, with a peak on 22 July 1985 (Fig. 2). Hylaeus verticalis was the medium size species (female thorax diameter = 2.17 mID, N = 33). It nested at all sites, but was found in low numbers at site CR during both years (Fig. 1). This species completed nests between 9 July and 15 September, with a peak on 1 August 1985 (Fig. 2). In general, these three species nested during the same time period (Fig. 2). Hylaeus ellipticus completed some nests one week before either of the other species.