Scientific note: the nesting behaviour of two large carpenter bees of the genus Xylocopa (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Vietnam

Abstract

Xylocopa is an important genus in Hymenoptera: Apidae because it not only contributes to research on the early stages of insect social evolution but also provides useful information for the pollination of cultivated and native plants. The nesting behaviour of Vietnamese Xylocopa bees has not yet been studied. The present study aims to contribute to the knowledge of the nesting behaviour of X. (Biluna) nasalis and X. (Alloxylocopa) phalothorax from Vietnam. Whereas X. nasalis used dead bamboo culms for its nesting site and excavated the nest entrance usually on lateral sides, X. phalothorax utilized a dead wood branch for its nesting site, dug the nest entrance from the underside, and constructed a longitudinally median burrow in the branch. Xylocopa nasalis nested social, and the nests of both bees were unbranched.