Assessment of Sarkanda Stems as Nesting Substrate forPithitis smaragdula F.(Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae)

Small carpenter bees Pithitis smaragdula F, are recognised pollinators of several crops like alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.), pigeon pea ( Cajanus cajan Millsp.), cucurbits. Coriander, fennel, okra, onion and sunflower. However, their population fluctuates during different years posing a great limitation in their utilization as effective pollinators. Artificial trap nesting of these bees will help in their conservation in situ and utilizing them for enhancing pollination service in cropping ecosystems. Hollow waste stems of Saccharum sp. cut into small lengths were tried as nesting tunnels for culturing carpenter bees Pithitis smaragdula. The bees accepted these pithy stems for provisioning and nesting activities. The percentage acceptability increased with time and was 17 percent after 34 days of fixing reeds. During the study period, Pithitis bees were found to nest, reproduce and build their populations in these pithy tunnels. The stems of these plants, otherwise going to waste, could be very useful for culturing/keeping these bee pollinators of crops.