Nesting biology of two species of the large carpenter bees Xylocopa pubescens and Xylocopa fenestrata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in north-western Pakistan

Abstract

The large carpenter bees are very promising pollinators for many agriculture crops. The nesting biology and some foraging activities of these large carpenter bees are documented from the north-western Pakistan, most extent of its natural distribution, as these species are potentially important pollinators of cucurbit crops and some agriculture crops in the region. Nests of the large carpenter bees, Xylocopa pubescens Spinola, 1838 and Xylocopa fenestrata Fabricius, 1798, around the Ismaila village, Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, were observed and sampled from June to August 2012 and 2013. Nest details were recorded and foraging times on various floral species were documented, with bees preferentially nesting in dead wooden stems of Poplar (Populus deltoides) and Sesbania (Sesbania bispinosa). The dissection of nests was carried out and both nest architecture and nesting biology of the species were described. The importance of such studies on wild bees in Pakistan is important for the melittologists, as it will help in conservation of wild bees. The study is also useful in using large carpenter bees for pollination purpose.