Anthodioctes megachiloides Holmberg 1903 is a solitary bee that uses pre-existing cavities to construct the nest. Wood trap-nests were installed on the garden of the Bee Laboratory at the University Campus in São Paulo. The traps consisted of circular holes 4 to 5 mm in diameter, drilled 5 to 7 cm deep. Rolled papers were inserted in the hole, so that the paper tube could later and periodically be inspected. Data on the biology, nest construction, female behaviour and parasites activity were gathered through direct observation during the spring and summer seasons of 2001/2002. Females of A. megachiloides began their activity in middle August and funded in total 40 nests on the spring 2001. Plant resin is used to coat the cells, construct the partitions and nest-closure. Of 24 nests examined, 18 contained dead immature, indicating that mortality was high. One species of Sapygidae wasp was detected as cleptoparasite of A. megachiloides.
Parasitism; solitary bee; southeastern Brazil; trapnest
