Post by alex on Oct 29, 2009 13:17:30 GMT 9.5
Males take no part in cell provisioning, and
carry much smaller volumes of nectar than
females. Nectar foraging in males was concentrated
in the early morning, with continued foraging
at a low rate throughout their activity period.
The mean nectar payload for males in the same
period was only 3·1&5·8 mg (N=114), ranging
from undetectable traces up to 16·5 ìl, and never
reached the large volumes carried by provisioning
females. There was thus a clear asymmetry in the
foraging requirements of males and females.
After an initial period of intensive nectar foraging,
males showed increased sensitivity to conspecific
males and females, foraging bumblebees
(particularly the predominantly black bumblebee
species Bombus lapidarius L. and B. ruderarius
Muller) and even passing birds, a black cat and a
black boot.
Stone, G.N. (1995) Female foraging responses to sexual harassment in the solitary bee Anthophora plumipes. Animal Behaviour 50(2), 405-412.
