Limited overlap of the community of bees and wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) nesting in reed galls with those nesting in other cavities

Abstract

Hymenopterans occurring in wetlands represent specific community with bioindicative characters but poorly understood nesting biology. We have studied the nesting preferences of these insects in ten reed beds—five represented by natural wetlands, and the other five localized to anthropogenic sites. We reared the hymenopterans from trap-nests consisting of reed stalks and goldenrod stems, which were installed at the localities through the nesting season, and compared them with quantitative data of hymenopterans reared from reed galls collected at the same localities. Most of the species that nested in reed galls accepted the reed stalk traps but not vice versa. Some of the species that accepted both these nesting resources strongly differed in their frequency of use of these two nesting resources. Moreover, the species composition differed substantially between goldenrod stems and either reed stalks or reed galls. The digger wasp Pemphredon fabricii was eudominant in reed galls with higher abundance at anthropogenic sites, while it was also observed in reed stalks but in much lower numbers. Hylaeus pectoralis was frequent in reed galls at both habitat types and only one individual was reared from reed stalks. Trypoxylon deceptorium was quite numerous in reed galls but much more frequent in reed stalks. Species unknown from reed galls (Psenulus pallipes, Hylaeus confusus, Gymnomerus laevipes) were numerous in reed stalks. We experimentally confirmed that P. fabricii and H. pectoralis show high preference of reed galls and are dependent on these nesting resources. The available evidence suggests that the management of both natural and anthropogenic sites needs to implement tools preserving reed beds, especially the terrestrial ones with reed galls.