User:Juhis2309/sandbox

Sandbox- Draft Nomada Bee Page by Juhi and Olivia

To Do:

- Add a section about identification, anatomy?

- find more peer-reviewed sources

- add more links to other wiki articles

- any

Nomada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

With over 850 species, the genus Nomada is one of the largest genera in the family Apidae, and the largest genus of kleptoparasitic "cuckoo bees". Kleptoparasitic bees are so named because they enter the nests of a host and lay eggs there, stealing resources that the host has already collected. They occur worldwide, and use many different types of bees as hosts, primarily the genus Andrena. As parasites, they lack a pollen-carrying scopa, and are mostly hairless, as they do not collect pollen to feed their offspring. Like non-parasitic bees, they visit flowers to feed on nectar. They are often extraordinarily wasp-like in appearance, with red, black, and yellow colors prevailing, and with smoky (infuscated) wings or wing tips.

Separation of this genus (the only genus in the tribe Nomadini) from other members of the Nomadinae can be difficult; details of the wing venation, and the nature of the patch of silvery setae at the tip of the female metasoma are the best distinguishing features.

Parasitism
Bees of the Nomada genus most often parasitize bees of the Andrena genus. Nomada are guided by olfactory receptors and visual cues to Andrena nests. Studies show that Nomada females olfactorily asses their hosts nests using three cues: 1) vulnerability and quality of the host cell, 2) threat of a maternal host’s presence, 3) competition with other Nomada bees. In early spring, they can be spotted flying low to the ground, searching for nests to parasitize.

The role of male and female cuckoos bees in the parasitism process differs. Before mating, male Nomada spp. will fly locally secreting a scent which mimics the host female. Male cuckoo bees will secrete this scent near host nest options to help female Nomada spp. find a nest to deposit eggs. Furthermore, when male and female bees mate, there is evidence that part of the male’s secreted scent rubs off onto female bees, which will actually provide an advantage to her finding and entering a host nest.

Nomada bees are distinct from other types of parasitic bees for several reasons. These bees are evolutionarily unique because they do not exhibit pollen collecting behaviors. Nomada parasitizes their host cells by laying eggs in host nests while the female host bee is foraging for pollen, nectar, or oil. The female Nomada preys on the host’s cells before host oviposition and nest cell closure. The female cuckoo bee will lay her eggs in the host’s nest and leave. Nomada are known to leave specialized egg structures in the host cell. These eggs are placed into the innermost wall of the host cell, yet there is a lot of diversity among Nomadinae regarding the manner of egg insertion. Some species are known to bury the egg at right angles into the cell wall, while some only partially insert the egg. Additionally, Nomada may sometimes leave multiple eggs into one host cell, a frequent trait of kleptoparasitic bees. Using their unique mandibles, the parasite larvae kill the host offspring and the conspecific larvae until only one is alive. This larva then steals the host’s allocation of pollen or nectar.

Species[edit]
See List of Nomada species for a complete list.

External links[edit]

 * Image Gallery
 * http://www.bugguide.net (Search for Nomada, North American species only)