Nesting Pattern Preferences of Stingless Bee, Trigona Iridipennis Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Jnanabharathi Campus, Karnataka, India

Abstract

The patterning aspects of nests are receiving increased attention in nature, so we have studied it in human-dwelling environments involving repeated spatio-temporal mold of pattern. Different criteria such as nesting sites, orientations, nest characters, longevity and elevation of nests have been selected to check the level of preferences exhibited by an indigenous resident species of stingless bee, Trigona iridipennis Smith at the Jnanabharathi campus in the southern part of Bangalore (Karnataka). Nesting patterns gave a precise measurement of preference level exhibited by testing different paradigms. The deciduous, shrub type of vegetation helped for successful dominance in higher number of nests to thrive well, which in turn helped to look at the varying patterns of nests. Observations on different nests revealed: i. preference for the habitats made of walls, ii. north facing direction for nest opening, iii. different type of nests with oval-shaped opening and medium-sized exposure outside, iv. nests with more accumulation of mud, resin and wax deposits and v. bees preferring middle elevation range of 11-15 feet for nest-building purely depending on the safer strategies such as availability of flora, protection from predators for better and safe survival at the nesting sites.