Fig. 1
Black markings associated with the Tetragonula iridipennis nests.
Table 1
Colony characteristics of T. iridipennis
[i] No. of colonies per nesting site: Pair wise (1&2, 2&3….) values are statistically at par (p=0.05) with each other Nest orientation: Values of pair 1&2 are statistically different while the rest pairs (2&3 and 3&4) are at par (p=0.05) with each other
Fig. 2
Tetragonula iridipennis colony in brick wall.
Fig. 3
Tetragonula iridipennis colony in mulberry tree trunk.
Fig. 4
Tetragonula iridipennis colony in Cassia tree trunk.
Fig. 5
Retrieving a Tetragonula iridipennis from mulberry tree trunk.
Table 2
Characteristics of Tetragonula iridipennis colonies in hollow tree trunks of mulberry
| Colony I | Colony II | Colony III | Colony IV | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colony size | Cavity length | 89.0 | 70.0 | 33.0 | 17.9 | 52.5±18.9 |
| Cavity length | 20.0 | 42.0 | 10.0 | 13.5 | 21.4±8.3 | |
| Pollen pots location | Cavity diameter | 3.0–7.5 | 6.2–7.5 | 7.0–7.5 | 3.5 | 3.0–7.5 |
| Thickness of plant rind forming cavity | 3.0–5.0 | 3.5–4.5 | 5.0–6.5 | 4.0–4.5 | 3.0–6.5 | |
| Cavity length | 47.0 | 9.2 | 6.0 | 4.4 | 16.7±11.8 | |
| Honey pots Location | Cavity diameter | 3.0–4.0 | 5.5–6.0 | 7.2 | 4.8 | 3.0–7.2 |
| Thickness of plant rind forming cavity | 4.5–7.5 | 3.5–4.0 | 6.0–7.0 | 3.5–4.0 | 3.5–7.5 | |
| Cavity length | 22.0 | 12.5 | 19.0 | --- | 17.8±2.8 | |
| Brood cells location | Cavity diameter | 4.0–6.0 | 5.0–10.0 | 7.5 | --- | 4.0–10.0 |
| Thickness of plant rind forming cavity | 6.0–6.5 | 6.0–7.5 | 6.0–8.0 | --- | 6.0–8.0 |
[i] Values following ± sign are S.E. mean
Table 3
Dimensions of different components of nest constructed by Tetragonula iridipennis in hollow tree trunks of mulberry
| Component of nest | Number observed (n) | Mean size (mm)* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | Width | ||
| Brood cells size | 10 | 2.79±0.06a (2.57–3.16) | 2.62± 0.04a (2.42–2.79) |
| Honey pots size | 10 | 5.33±0.09b (4.97–5.89) | 4.52±0.08b (4.11–4.92) |
| Pollen pots size | 13 | 6.93±0.40c (4.73–9.73) | 5.19±0.20c (4.24–6.26) |
| Pillars | 10 | Height | 2.83± 0.24 (2.21–4.69) |
| Girth | 0.91± 0.08 (0.70–1.47) | ||
| Base | 1.46±0.14 (0.76–2.18) | ||
| Voids | 3 | 1.96±0.16 (1.01–3.14) | |