Fig. 1.
Resin robbing by Megachile sp.
Fig. 2.
Leucospis sp. in the hive of newly divided colony.
Fig. 3.
Ethogram of different behaviours of stingless bees, T. iridipennis after colony division. A. Emergence of bees from pupal brood cells; B. Pillars and connectives to attach brood to the hive; C. Nest entrance closure by the bees; D. Hive entrance repair activity by the bees.
Table 1.
Nest defence behaviour recorded in response to the attack by the enemies
| Natural enemy | Nature of damage caused by the intruder in the unprotected colony | Nature of nest entrance closure | Type of defence behaviour exhibited by the stingless bees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resin bee | Resin-robbing activity noticed at the nest entrance as well as inside the colony |
| Guard bees were sighted near the entrance tube during the resin robbing by the Megachile bee. |
| Ant |
| Nest closure not observed | In a few colonies, the ants were seen trapped in the entrance tube whereas, in other few colonies, some individuals were observed in a dead form as further navigation into the colony was arrested by the formation of complex nest architecture made by the bees inside the colony. |
| Spider | Formed webs in the colonies invaded by ants and resin bees with lost resources | Nest closure not observed | The spider was seen entangled and killed inside the entrance tube by a layer of mud mixed resin. |
Fig. 4.
Mean number of invasions by different invaders in the newly divided colonies.
Table 2.
Events in the newly divided colony of stingless bees
| Sequence of events | Mean ± SD (days) |
|---|---|
| Nest closure | 4.37 ± 0.74 |
| Guard bee activity | 6.13 ±1.24 |
| Foraging activity | 10.63 ±1.06 |
Fig. 5.
Task allocation of the bees during initial stages of colony division.
Fig. 6.
Damage caused by intruders in newly divided colonies.
Fig. 7.
Complex nest architecture at nest entrance. Red arrow indicates the complex coral like internal nest entrance made by the bees to pose a difficulty for the intruders during their navigation inside the nest.