关键词: 长木蜂, 筑巢行为, 访花行为, 贮粮行为, 竹子

Abstract: 【Aim】 In order to discover the behavior feature of solitary pollinates and provide the basis for developing new resource of bees, the research on the behavior of nesting and food-storing of Xylocopa tranquebarorum (Swederus) was carried out. 【Methods】 The whole nesting process of X. tranquebarorum was observed through visual observation and photographing, and the nest hole size of X. tranquebarorum was measured with vernier caliper. We also observed the single bee bread size and the number of all bee bread brewed throughout its lifespan using nest anatomy in the laboratory. 【Results】 X. tranquabarorum normally nests on the bamboo, occasionally also on the reed. The favorite bamboo species of them were Bambusa multiplex and Phyllostachys spp. with stem diameter about 1.2-2.5 cm. The nesting behavior included six successive phases: (1) the female chose suitable nesting site; (2) the female excavated the bamboo culm to make an entrance of nest; (3) the female cleaned its nest; (4) the female collected pollen and nectar to brew bee bread; (5) the female lay one egg on every bee bread; (6) at last it would construct cell partition to separate the bee bread from the others. Most of nests were located in 1 m away from old nests. The female needed 292（±29） min to finish one entrance of nest. The female spent 17.31(±0.52) min in each pollen and nectar collecting trip and 22 to 40 pollen and nectar collecting trips to finish one bee bread. The female would spend 16.45(±1.08) min to stay in nest and 15.29(±1.03) min to unload the pollen and nectar to finish one of the six pieces of bee bread which it would make throughout its lifespan. The bee bread was near rectangular, 12-18 mm long and 6-10 mm wide, and its weight was about 0.7140(±0.0269) g. 【Conclusions】 The nesting behavior among different female individuals of X. tranquebarorum was similar, while the number of pollen and nectar collecting trips and the period of food-storing among different individuals were significantly different.

Key words: Xylocopa tranquebarorum, nesting habit, foraging behavior, food-storing behavior, bamboo