A solitary wild bee Megachile oblonga nesting in honey bee wax combs

Abstract

Recently, native bee fauna has been observed utilising anthropogenic materials as nesting substrates. Here we report the novel observation of a native solitary cavity-nesting bee, Megachile (Hackeriapis) oblonga (Smith, 1879) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Megachilinae) nesting in man-made, but honey bee drawn waxed frames. This represents a unique indirect interaction between the introduced Apis mellifera and native wild bees and adds to growing evidence of how human activities are altering the behaviour of wild bees, with unknown consequences. Our observations here add to knowledge about the flexibility in nesting habits of wild bees and the potential for bees to adopt novel materials to nest in. This may represent adaptive or maladaptive behaviour; it remains to be determined whether humans are presenting wild bees with an increasing number of “ecological traps” as anthropogenic activities limit the availability of natural nesting substrates in the environment.