Natural enemy | Nature of damage caused by the intruder in the unprotected colony | Nature of nest entrance closure | Type of defence behaviour exhibited by the stingless bees |
---|---|---|---|
Resin bee | Resin-robbing activity noticed at the nest entrance as well as inside the colony |
Full closure of nest entrance from inside for a week period. Partial outside closure at the entrance tube |
Guard bees were sighted near the entrance tube during the resin robbing by the |
Ant |
Destroyed the developing pupal broods inside the brood cells Consumed the honey in the honey pots |
Nest closure not observed | In a few colonies, the ants were seen trapped in the entrance tube whereas, in other few colonies, some individuals were observed in a dead form as further navigation into the colony was arrested by the formation of complex nest architecture made by the bees inside the colony. |
Spider | Formed webs in the colonies invaded by ants and resin bees with lost resources | Nest closure not observed | The spider was seen entangled and killed inside the entrance tube by a layer of mud mixed resin. |
Sequence of events | Mean ± SD (days) |
---|---|
Nest closure | 4.37 ± 0.74 |
Guard bee activity | 6.13 ±1.24 |
Foraging activity | 10.63 ±1.06 |