Open Entrances Research Articles

Ethological Observations on Oxybelus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) in Southwestern New Mexico

Information on behavior of Oxybelus ventralis Fox, O. aztecus Cameron, O. fossor Rohwer and Cockerell, O. parvus Cresson, O. exclamans Viereck, and O. sparideus Cockerell obtained from New Mexico is presented. Wasps nested only in sandy areas intermittently drenched with water throughout the May and early June study periods. All species but O. exclamans and O. sparideus left their nests open while provisioning. O. ventralis always carried its prey impaled on the sting, landed near the nest, and walked in. O. aztecus, O. fossor, O. parvus, O. sparideus, and O. exclamans carried their prey with their middle and hind legs. O. aztecus, O. fossor, and O. parvus plunged into their open nest entrances; O. sparideus plunged through the nest closure. O. exclamans landed near the nest and then dug open the closure while straddling the prey. If nest entrances became blocked, O. fossor and O. parvus landed, impaled the prey, and dug through the closures. O. exclamans also impaled the prey if it encountered difficulties in locating or digging open the nest. All species mass-provisioned their nests with flies. O. aztecus and O. sparideus collected both male and female prey. O. exclamans provisioned exclusively with male sarcophagids, O. fossor with male scenopinids, and O. ventralis with male bombyliids. O. parvus provisioned with males from several families. When the nest was fully provisioned, all species filled the burrow with sand. Many cells were destroyed by the miltogrammines Senotainia nana Coquillett, S. trilineata (Wulp), Metopia argyrocephala (Meigen), and ants (probably Solenopsis spp.).

Nesting Biology of Tanyoprymnus moneduloides and Ammatomus icarioides1

No gross differences in nesting behavior were found between the closely related genera, Tanyoprymnus and Ammatomus, which were studied in coastal Georgia, Big Bend, Tex., and Brisbane, Australia. Each made shallow, multicellular nests and provisioned with Fulgoroidea. Wasps held prey in flight with the middle and hind legs, and prey-laden wasps descended slowly to their open nest entrances. Cells were mass provisioned with the prey facing head inward; eggs were laid longitudinally on the thoracic venter of prey placed venter up and topmost in the cell. A. icarioides (Turner) provides the first record of the presence of cocoon pores in small to medium-sized Gorytini. Nesting behavior of T. moneduloides (Packard) and A. icarioides resembles that of other gorytines, supporting the contention that, although gorytines are morphologically diverse, their nesting behavior is rather uniform.

The effects of time of day and method of sampling on the determination of nosema disease in beehives

An examination has been made of the effect of time of day and method of sampling in the determination of Nosema disease in the honey bee, Apis mellifera Linnaeus. Sampling at different times of the day or on different days over a period of 11 days produced no significant differences in the number of bees infected in a sample of 25 bees taken from closed entrances. When samples from closed entrances were compared with those from open entrances, the number of infected bees from open entrances was significantly lower than that from closed entrances. The importance of this is discussed.

Vertebrates Inhabiting Pocket Gopher Burrows in Colorado

Twenty-two species of vertebrates have been recorded in Colorado as using pocket gopher burrows for retreats and foraging routes, and the local occurrence of several reptiles and of the tiger salamander is determined by the presence of these burrows. Adult tiger salamanders often live in burrows occupied by pocket gophers; apparently these two animals are mutually tolerant. Ground squirrels are pocket gophers' strongest competitors for burrow systems and occasionally force pocket gophers from their burrows. The plugging by pocket gophers of open entrances to their burrows is important in excluding other burrowinhabiting vetebrates as well as predators.

Denning of the Swift Fox in Northern Texas

Little information has been published about the life history and behavior of the swift fox, Vulpes velox . This lack of information can be attributed, in part, to the fact that for many years there have been few swift foxes to observe. Swift foxes were nearly extirpated from a large portion of their range at one time. Some workers, including myself, are of the opinion that this depopulation was brought about by coyote control measures. Robinson (1953), on the contrary, states that populations of small predators are increased because of coyote control measures. Be that as it may, the observations herein reported are on the denning and associated behavior of the swift fox. These observations were made principally in Hansford County, Texas, at various times from December, 1953 to September, 1956. Approximately 25 occupied dens were observed. These dens were all in open, sparsely vegetated habitats, on sloping plains, hill tops, or other well-drained situations. Grater (1939), however, reported seeing a pair of kit foxes, Vulpes macrotis , move their whelps to a new den because the old den was flooded by high water. A mound of earth, from 2 to 12 inches high, typically extended from 2 to 4 feet from each entrance. There were one or two open entrances for each den in the spring and some dens, probably more than one year old, had also as many as four plugged entrances. The entrances were circular or slightly ovoid and were from 7 …