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BROOD BIONOMICS OF BOMBUS RUDERATUS IN NEW ZEALAND (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Nelson Pomeroy
Nelson Pomeroy
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Zoology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Abstract

Observations of five free foraging colonies of Bombus (Megabombus) ruderatus (Fab.) are reported with respect to brood production and mortality. Emphasis is given to the nutrition of larvae and new adults, and larval ejection. Seasonal trends in the sex, caste, and size of adults are reported. Colony size was relatively large for a temperate Bombus species. Intraspecific variation in colony size was related to the timing of male production.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 111 , Issue 8 , August 1979 , pp. 865 - 874
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1979

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