Nesting and breeding attempts of Cecropis daurica (Laxmann, 1769) in Tunisia

During fieldworks in 2019, a pair of Red-rumped Swallows (Cecropis daurica) were seen building their nest (June) and one of them brooding (August). The pair was still present in the area by the end of September, while all other swallows left this breeding area. In June 2020, the nest entrance was destroyed and the nest was occupied by a pair of Passer sp. Another nest of C. daurica was found in an abandoned building but was completely destroyed. This observation is the first record concerning an attempt and failure of nesting of the species in Tunisia. The nesting area of the Red-rumped Swallow is extended to the Mediterranean in southern Europe and to northwest Africa. The nesting sites are described, and the extension of the nesting area is discussed in this work.

Selection and spatial arrangement of building materials during the construction of nest turrets by grass-cutting ants

Ants build complex nest structures by reacting to simple, local stimuli. While underground nests result from the space generated by digging, some leaf- and grass-cutting ants also construct conspicuous aboveground turrets around nest openings. We investigated whether the selection of specific building materials occurs during turret construction in Acromyrmex fracticornis grass-cutting ants, and asked whether single building decisions at the beginning can modify the final turret architecture. To quantify workers' material selection, the original nest turret was removed and a choice between two artificial building materials, thin and thick sticks, was offered for rebuilding. Workers preferred thick sticks at the very beginning of turret construction, showed varying preferences thereafter, and changed to prefer thin sticks for the upper, final part of the turret, indicating that they selected different building materials over time to create a stable structure. The impact of a single building choice on turret architecture was evaluated by placing artificial beams that divided a colony's nest entrance at the beginning of turret rebuilding. Splitting the nest entrance led to the self-organized construction of turrets with branched galleries ending in multiple openings, showing that the spatial location of a single building material can strongly influence turret morphology.

BENTUK PINTU MASUK SARANG TRIGONA SPP DI KAWASAN HUTAN MANGROVE SURYA PERDANA MANDIRI KELURAHAN SETAPUK BESAR SINGKAWANG UTARA

The Trigona spp (kelulut) bee is a non-stinging honey bee that belongs to the Apidae family. Kelulut is a social insect that lives in groups in a colony, where this bee colony defends itself by biting if disturbed. Kelulut usually make nests in tree holes, wall gaps and bamboo holes in the house, with simple materials that are used as nests such as wooden boxes, pieces of bamboo, coconut fruit, coconut shells, and earthen pots as long as the nesting material is tightly closed. Bee hives are a place of refuge for a bee colony from bacteria, fungi, viruses, and predators, as well as a place for honey, bee pollen, and bee eggs to grow. Kelulut nests are built from resin material derived from plants, besides that there is a door to the nest which is decorated with a funnel made of resin and has various shapes, some are short and some are long, depending on the type which serves as a place to enter and exit colony members. The entrance and exit of the nest not only serves as a pathway for entry and exit, but also serves as a marker for the nest. Kelulut nest entrances have various shapes, including funnel, oval, elliptical, round and irregular or without protrusions at the entrance. This study aims to determine the shape of the entrance to the Trigona spp nest in the Surya Perdana Mandiri Mangrove Forest Area. The method used is a survey, with roaming techniques. Observations were made on trees with kelulut nests. Data analysis using descriptive qualitative. The results found 2 species of kelulut, namely Heterotrigona itama Cockerell and Tetragonula laeviceps Smith. H.itama bees have 6 the shape of entrance and T.laeviceps bees have 4 the shape of entrance. H.itama bees have a funnel at the entrance and there are propolis around the nest. The H.itama entrance has a different shape in the form of a long and slender funnel and a short and large funnel. In addition, the funnel has a variety of colors, black, golden yellow, light brown, and dark brown. While T.laeviceps species do not have a funnel or nest entrance. This type only makes a hole as a place to enter and exit the nest and there is no propolis found around the nest.Keywords: Heterotrigona, mangrove, nest entrance, tetragonula, trigona

Food choice by Messor arenarius ants in different distances from their nest: testing increased selectivity theory

According to central-place-foraging theory, selectivity of central-place foragers to larger or more profitable food items should increase as the distance from their nest to the food increases. In this research it was checked, if the selectivity of ants of the species Messor arenarius (Fabricius) to larger food items increases as a function of the distance from their nest entrance to the food site. In food choice experiments, whole wheat seeds and halves of wheat seeds cut longitudinally were offered to M. arenarius ants at the same points. These ants preferred halves of wheat seeds cut longitudinally over whole wheat seeds, in all the distances from nest entrance that were checked in this research - 1m, 5m or 10m from nest entrance. According to these findings, M. arenarius ants did not show increased selectivity to different wheat particles within a distance range of 1m – 10m from their nest entrance. It is possible that since the nutritional value of wheat is relatively high, these ants could not evaluate the nutritional value of wheat particles that were offered to them.

Additional nest structures and natural enemies of stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponinae)

Stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are widely distributed in tropics and subtropics areas. Now these bees are farmed by the human because they produce honey and propolis. Natural enemies can disturb the colony that affects to nest structure and productivity of these bees. This study aimed to study the common nest structure and additional nest structure of stingless bees which caused by natural enemies. This research was conducted from August to November 2015. Samples were taken from three locations, i.e, Pasuruan (East Java), Tasikmalaya (West Java), and Rangkasbitung (Banten). Descriptive analysis was used to compare the structure and composition of the nest in bamboo and additional nest structures in relation with natural enemies. Generally, the structure and composition of the nest of stingless bees in bamboo consist of nest entrance, storage pots (honey and pollen), and brood cells. We didn’t found natural enemies of stingless bees in Pasuruan and Tasikmalaya and these colonies did not create additional nest structures. In contrast, the colonies in Rangkasbitung created additional nest structures i.e. the inner entrance covered by batumen and cerumen and also build a root-like structure. Natural enemies found in the colony at Rangkasbitung were cockroaches (Blattodea: Blattidae), histerid beetles, Platysoma leconti (Coleoptera: Histeridae), nitidulid beetles, Carphophilus sp. (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), and ants, Pheidole sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Nest Turrets of Acromyrmex Grass-Cutting Ants: Micromorphology Reveals Building Techniques and Construction Dynamics

Acromyrmex fracticornis grass-cutting ants construct conspicuous chimney-shaped nest turrets made of intermeshed grass fragments. We asked whether turrets are constructed by merely piling up nearby materials around the entrance, or whether ants incorporate different materials as the turret develops. By removing the original nest turrets and following their rebuilding process over three consecutive days, age-dependent changes in wall morphology and inner lining fabrics were characterized. Micromorphological descriptions based on thin sections of turret walls revealed the building behaviors involved. Ants started by collecting nearby twigs and dry grass fragments that are piled up around the nest entrance. Several large fragments held the structure like beams. As a net-like structure grew, soil pellets were placed in between the intermeshed plant fragments from the turret base to the top, reinforcing the structure. Concomitantly, the turret inner wall was lined with soil pellets, starting from the base. Therefore, the consolidation of the turret occurred both over time and from its base upwards. It is argued that nest turrets do not simply arise by the arbitrary deposition of nearby materials, and that workers selectively incorporate large materials at the beginning, and respond to the developing structure by reinforcing the intermeshed plant fragments over time.

Occurrence of multiple nest entrance in the stingless bee Tetragonula travancorica (Hymenoptera: Meliponini)

Multiple nest entrance occurs in the stingless bee Tetragonula travancorica Shanas & Faseeh at a low frequency (2.3%). Different types of multiple nest entrances are described and its significance discussed.

Characterization of Nest Architecture of an Indian Ant Diacamma indicum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Nests are physical entities that give shelter to the inhabitants from natural adversities, predators and act as a platform for organization of tasks particularly in social insects. Social insect nests can range from simple structures consisting of a single entrance leading to a chamber to complex nests containing hundreds of connected shafts and chambers. This study characterizes nest architecture of a tropical ponerine ant Diacamma indicum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), which has small colony sizes and is known to be a scavenger. We also examined if these nests vary seasonally. By examining the microhabitat in the vicinity of the nest, the nest entrance characteristics and casting 77 natural nests of D. indicum across a year, we found that this species occupies relatively simple nests consisting of a single entrance that leads to a single chamber. This chamber progressed to a secondary tunnel that terminated at a greater depth than the chamber. The nest volume was not correlated to the number of adult members in the colony. Even though the microhabitat around the nest and the entrance itself change across seasons, principle component analysis showed that the nest architecture remained similar. Only one parameter, the entrance tunnel showed significant difference and was longer during postmonsoon. Nests of colonies living in the immediate vicinity of human habitation were comparable to other nests. We conclude that D. indicum found in the Gangetic plains live in relatively simple nests that do not vary across seasons.