Oviposition Behavior of the Stingless Bees, XVII. : Plebeia (Plebeia) droryana and an Ethological Comparison with Other Meliponine Taxa (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

The cell provisioning and oviposition process (POP) of Plebeia (Plebeia) droryana is mainly characterized by : 1-always batched ovipositions ; 2-syn-chronously constructed and provisioned brood cells ; 3-interactions between castes remarkable by the queen's frequent and abrupt motions allied to her overt aggressiveness, eliciting complex and diversified worker behaviors ; 4-worker-born trophic eggs laid anywhere on the comb long before food provisioning, and eaten either by the queen or by other workers. Although the POP of most stingless bees always shows some agitation involving both castes mainly at food provisioning into cells, the agitation seen in P. droryana reaches the highest level, which is, only comparable to that in Nannotrigona and Mourella.