Notes on the Cleptoparasitic Bees from Tawang District in Arunachal Pradesh, India with Special Reference to Family Apidae of Order Hymenoptera

In the world of bees, the typical image involves an insect visiting flowers to collect pollen, which is then deposited into a nest cell constructed by the bee for their offspring. This scenario holds true for the majority of bee species. However, in nature, bees with nests and stored resources are always at risk of being usurped. Cleptoparastic bees are specialized species that take advantage of the resources or nests prepared by other bee species. These parasitic bees exhibit behaviours and adaptations that allow them to exploit the provisions and nesting sites created by their host bees. During a study with an aim of documenting bee diversity in Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh, a total of 7 species belonging to 6 genera and three families of bees of cleptoparasitic trait is observed out of which family Apidae exhibits highest species diversity with 4 species followed by family Megachilidae with 2 species and least by family Halictidae with a single species. Cleptoparasitic bee genera Nomada Scopoli, 1770, Coelioxys Latreille, 1809 and Sphecodes Latreille, 1804 are newly recorded for Arunachal Pradesh bee fauna. As cleptoparasites rely on host(s) occurrence for their persistence, it is credible that the geographic distribution of hosts influences the distribution of cleptoparasites, mostly in specialized forms of parasitism. Moreover, one could antedate that the ecological niches of cleptoparasites would change to overlap with those of their respective hosts. In this study, we also have observed the potential host associations based on their overlap of distribution and foraging niche of the subjected cuckoo bees and augmented herewith. The study provides valuable insights into the details of bee interactions, emphasizing the need for continued research to reveal and document the diverse relationships within ecosystems to address the Eltonian shortfall.