Project Number: 5428-21000-010-50
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jun 05, 2006
End Date: Sep 30, 2008

Objective:
To measure the costs or benefits as direct results of harassment by male alfalfa leafcutting bees on females during nesting.

Approach:
Male and female alfalfa leafcutting bees will be flown in cages over alfalfa. Cages will have different male densities. Evaluation of reproductive success will measure the cost/benefit of harassment. Also, male-female attraction will be examined with Y-tubes and flight chamber in the laboratory.