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Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees, carpenter bees, orchid bees, cuckoo bees, and a number of other less widely known groups. Many are valuable pollinators in natural habitats and for agricultural crops.
The subfamily Xylocopinae occurs worldwide, and includes the large carpenter bees, the small carpenter bees, the allodapine bees, and the relictual genus Manuelia.
Xylocopa virginica, sometimes referred to as the eastern carpenter bee, extends through the eastern United States and into Canada. They are sympatric with Xylocopa micans in much of southeastern United States. They nest in various types of wood and eat pollen and nectar. In X. virginica, dominant females do not focus solely on egg-laying, as in other bee species considered to have "queens". Instead, dominant X. virginica females are responsible for a full gamut of activities including reproduction, foraging, and nest construction, whereas subordinate bees may engage in little activity outside of guarding the nest.
Xylocopa violacea, the violet carpenter bee, is the common European species of carpenter bee, and one of the largest bees in Europe. It is also native to Asia.
Apis dorsata, the rock bee or giant honey bee, is a honey bee of South and Southeast Asia. They are typically around 17–20 mm (0.7–0.8 in) long and nests are mainly built in exposed places far off the ground, like on tree limbs, under cliff overhangs, and under buildings. These social bees are known for their aggressive defense strategies and vicious behavior when disturbed. Though not domesticated, indigenous peoples have traditionally used this species as a source of honey and beeswax, a practice known as honey hunting.
The cosmopolitan bee genus Ceratina, often referred to as small carpenter bees, is the sole lineage of the tribe Ceratinini, and is not closely related to the more familiar carpenter bees. The genus presently contains over 300 species in 23 subgenera. They make nests in dead wood, stems, or pith, and while many are solitary, a number are subsocial, with mothers caring for their larvae, and in a few cases where multiple females are found in a single nest, daughters or sisters may form very small, weakly eusocial colonies. One species is unique for having both social and asocial populations, Ceratina australensis, which exhibits all of the pre-adaptations for successful group living. This species is socially polymorphic with both solitary and social nests collected in sympatry. Social colonies in that species consist of two foundresses, one contributing both foraging and reproductive effort and the second which remains at the nest as a passive guard. Cooperative nesting provides no overt reproductive benefits over solitary nesting in this population, although brood survival tends to be greater in social colonies. Maternal longevity, subsociality and bivoltine nesting phenology in this species favour colony formation, while dispersal habits and offspring longevity may inhibit more frequent social nesting in this and other ceratinines.
Eulaema is a genus of large-bodied euglossine bees that occur primarily in the Neotropics. They are robust brown or black bees, hairy or velvety, and often striped with yellow or orange, typically resembling bumblebees. They lack metallic coloration as occurs in the related genus Eufriesea.
Xylocopa bombylans, the peacock carpenter bee, is a species of carpenter bee found in Australia. It gets its common name by its habit of burrowing into wood.
Ceratina cyanea, common name blue carpenter bee, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae, subfamily Xylocopinae.
Ceratina hieroglyphica, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae, subfamily Xylocopinae.
Ceratina smaragdula, also known as Ceratina (Pithitis) smaragdula, is a species of green metallic bees belonging to the family Apidae, subfamily Xylocopinae.
Ceratina tanganyicensis, also known as Ceratina (Simioceratina) tanganyicensis, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae, subfamily Xylocopinae.
Ceratina beata, also known as Ceratina (Xanthoceratina) beata, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae, subfamily Xylocopinae.
Ceratina picta, also known as Ceratina (Xanthoceratina) picta, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae subfamily Xylocopinae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.
The Oriental carpenter bee, Xylocopa nasalis, or Xylocopa (Biluna) nasalis, is a species of carpenter bee. It is widely distributed in Southeast Asian countries. It is a major pollinator within its ecosystem, and is often mistaken for a bumblebee. The species leads a solitary lifestyle with a highly female-biased colony in the nest.
Xylocopa sulcatipes is a large Arabian carpenter bee. These multivoltine bees take part in social nesting and cooperative nesting. They are metasocial carpenter bees that nest in thin dead branches. One or more cooperating females build many brood cells. They have been extensively studied in Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Ceratina cobaltina is a species of small carpenter bee in the family Apidae. It is found in Central America.
Ceratina arizonensis is a species of small carpenter bee in the family Apidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Ceratina calcarata, the spurred ceratina, is a species of small carpenter bee in the family Apidae. It is found in eastern North America. This species ranges from Georgia, USA north to Ontario, Canada and east to Nova Scotia, Canada. This bee is a common generalist, native pollinator, it pollinates plants like watermelon and cucumber very effectively. C. calcarata adds to the productivity of a wide range of ecological and agricultural systems due to its wide range and abundance. This small bee is becoming a model organism in the scientific research of social evolution. C. calcarata is the first subsocial bee species to have its genome published, allowing researchers to investigate the evolutionary origins of social behaviour.
Ceratina dupla, the doubled ceratina, is a species of small carpenter bee in the family Apidae. It is found in the eastern half of North America. It was formerly confused with the species Ceratina floridana and Ceratina mikmaqi, until molecular analyses demonstrated significant genetic differences between the taxa.
References
- 1 2 3 "Ceratina binghami". Discoverlife.org. 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
- ↑ Udayakumar, Amala; Shivalingaswamy, Tamilapur Maharudrappa (25 April 2019). "Nest architecture and life cycle of Small Carpenter bee, Ceratina binghami Cockerell (Xylocopinae: Apidae: Hymenoptera)". Sociobiology. 66 (1): 61. doi:10.13102/sociobiology.v66i1.3558.