Nesting sites characteristics of stingless bee, Tetragonula ruficornis (Smith, 1870) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) in New Delhi, India

Stingless bees play a significant role in natural habitats and the human economy due to their valuable services in pollination and high-value products. Nesting sites characteristics of stingless bee, Tetragonula ruficornis Smith were studied at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, during 2021–22. Different criteria such as nesting sites, orientations, nest characters, and elevation of nests have been selected to check the level of preferences exhibited by an indigenous resident species of stingless bee, T. ruficornis. Total 47 feral colonies located in the campus were used for the present study. Analysis of the recorded data indicated that cement and brick walls were the most popular nesting sites (31.91%), followed by stem cavities of Syzygium cumini (25.53%) and Cassia fistula (19.15%) while Morus alba (2.13%) was least favoured. Moreover, stingless bees favoured nesting heights of 1 to 2 metres (40.43%) from ground i.e., at medium elevation range. Regarding nest opening, the majority of nests (25.53%) faced south-east, followed by south-west (19.15%) and east (14.89%). The entrance of the nest, varied in size and shape such as circular, oval, slit-like, and irregular. Therefore, this study is vital for the conservation of stingless bees in their natural habitats and for developing effective strategies to locate and retrieve feral colonies from hollow plant stems, re-hiving them in well-designed structures that provide all necessary conditions for their survival.