Abstract
Little is known about the natural history of wild honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The goal of this research was to examine nest site characteristics of honey bee (A. m. capensis/A. m. scutellata hybrid) colonies sampled from a variety of habitats (nature reserves, livestock farms, and an urban setting) in the Eastern Cape. We also determined how nest site location related to various colony strength parameters. In general, colonies not nesting in ground cavities tended to nest in locations >6 m high when nesting in cliffs and buildings and >2 m high when nesting in trees. Colonies typically nested in cavities whose entrances faced a southeasterly direction and were ~40 L in volume. We sampled a subset of colonies to determine the relationship between nest type and the following colony strength parameters: total area of comb in the colony, the volume of stored honey, pollen, and brood, adult bee population, the weight per adult bee, and the bee/nest cavity volume ratio. In general, colonies nesting in cliffs tended to be stronger than those nesting in the ground or trees. Our findings provide new insights into the nesting biology of honey bees in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, perhaps leading to the formation of conservation recommendations for honey bees in this region.
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Acknowledgments
This project was made possible by the cooperation of the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL, USA) and Rhodes University (Grahamstown, South Africa). We are grateful to University of Florida and Rhodes University faculty (especially Professor Randall Hepburn), staff, and students for providing resources necessary for conducting the research. We thank General Motors of South Africa for the provision of a subsidized research 4 × 4 vehicle through Makana Meadery. We thank all the landowners, managers, employees of the study sites and Makana Meadery for allowing access and assistance during the field work phase of this project: Jennifer and Giles Gush, the Dell family, Mike Sparg, Hennie le Roux, Theo Harris, Ezra Schoonbee, Roger Hart, Charlene Bisset, Toast Rowan Seagers, Mirko Barnard, Coburs Delanga, Andy Ndyawe, Riaan Boucher, Phumlani Honi and Sindiswa Teyise. We also thank the laboratory of Dr. David deJong at the University of São, Paulo, Brazil for confirming the identity of the test honey bees.
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Vaudo, A.D., Ellis, J.D., Cambray, G.A. et al. Honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis/A. m. scutellata hybrid) nesting behavior in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Insect. Soc. 59, 323–331 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-012-0223-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-012-0223-0