Biology of bamboo nesting stingless bees of southwest China

More than 550 stingless bee species have been found in the tropical and subtropical areas across world. Different inhabit various types of nests, such as tree hollows, walls, lime stone crevices, or even co-nest with other live creatures ants termites underground. These cavity-nesting habits make it difficult to estimate colony size bees. Stingless native southwest China are sympatric many bamboo, straight shape bamboo provides an easier method volume preference selecting trap nests. Here, we reported nest characteristics measurement its height, diameter, entrance size, a calculation inner capacity determine nesting bamboo. The results showed that two species, Lepidotrigona flavibasis Tetragonula gressitti, all bamboo; was preferred by T. gressitti around 10.71 ± 2.38 cm2, compared L. for small area 1.33 0.25 cm2. Accordingly, internode 2272.37 126.7 mL 4493.35 466.91 chosen respectively. Interestingly, both living rather dead site. This study indicates cheap easily accessible could be used nests bees, volumes different suggest what sizes swarms might be. Selecting proper species-specific benefits us researching, conserving, keeping