TY - JOUR
AU - Painter, L., I.
AB - Abstract The alkali bee, Nomia melanderi Ckll., is an important pollinator of alfalfa in Wyoming. The number of nesting sites and the number of bees per nesting site have been declining in the River-ton seed-producing area during the past few years. An attempt has been made to characterize the sites chosen by bees so that promising but unproductive nesting areas may be modified in a manner to encourage bee utilization. Soil samples were taken and analyzed from several nesting and non-nesting areas near River-ton. Moisture in the sites was determined through the summer and early fall. In general, the selection of a particular site seemed to be at least partly dependent on suitable texture and proper moisture conditions. A soil of 75% sand, 17% silt and 8% clay, with a constant moisture of about 13%, seemed to be requited. Other chemical and physical differences in the nesting and non-nesting areas were those associated with variations in the soil moisture. A scattering of plants encouraged nesting but was not absolutely necessary. This content is only available as a PDF. Author notes 1 Published with approval of the Director, Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station, as Journal Paper Number 141. © 1960 Entomological Society of America
TI - Some Characteristics of Alkali Bee Nesting Sites
JF - Journal of Economic Entomology
DO - 10.1093/jee/53.3.424
DA - 1960-06-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/some-characteristics-of-alkali-bee-nesting-sites-ELeN3LPfun
SP - 424
EP - 425
VL - 53
IS - 3
DP - DeepDyve
ER -