Nectar-foraging behavior of Euglossine bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in urban areas

Euglossine bees have been described as long-distance pollinators because of their great flight capacities although flight capacity is not necessarily correlated to home range. Here we report the nectar-foraging behavior of two euglossine species ( Euglossa cordata and Eulaema nigrita ) in urban areas and the predictive power of wing wear as an age estimator of these bees, using mark-recapture techniques at Thevetia peruviana trees. A total of 870 bees were marked. Recapture rates were 33% (± 19.2) for E. cordata and 25% (± 2.5) for E. nigrita . Only 7 bees were sighted at a different site from where they were first captured. More than 75% of the individuals showed site-constancy at trees for at least 30 days. Wing wear accumulation rate was variable among individuals and it was a poor predictor of age for E. cordata . Our data show that euglossine bees may have small foraging ranges in urban areas, indicating that home ranges greatly differ from their flight capacity and homing ability.