Some presumably presocial habits of JapaneseCeratina bees, with notes on various social types in Hymenoptera

Abstract

Some Japanese species ofCeratina bees exhibit habits which seem to be precursors to social life, namely: 1) Removal of larval feces by the mother, accompanied by destruction and reconstruction of cell partitions. 2) Transport of immatures within nest. 3) Guarding by the mother at the nest entrance, which is effective in protecting the immatures from parasites. 4) Association of the mother and juvenile adults in autumn, with pollen intake by juveniles from the mother, and 5) Prolonged life span of some females, followed by brood rearing in the second year.