Additional observations have been made in Andrenidae (Barrows 1978), Colletidae (Nicolson 1998), Megachilidae (Szabo and Smith 1972), and non-eusocial Apidae (Nishida 1963 Pokorny et al. The earliest non-honey bee observations of nectar concentrating we are aware of are by Rayment ( 1935), who recorded it in various species of Australian halictid bees. However, nectar concentrating behavior is also performed by both solitary and social bees that do not store nectar in this way (Michener 1974). In these groups, nectar concentrating, or dehydrating nectar as it is commonly called, is performed by workers to prepare nectar for storage in honeycomb or honey pots. Nectar concentrating is relatively well-documented in highly eusocial corbiculate Apidae, specifically the western honey bee, Apis mellifera (Park 1925 Lindauer 1955 Seeley 1995), and stingless bees (Meliponini) (Imperatriz-Fonseca 1973 Cortopassi-Laurino 1979, 2007 Van Veen et al. The typical behavior of nectar concentrating is well-described by Rayment ( 1955): Although there is evidence that some bees concentrate nectar internally using physiological processes and can rid themselves of excess fluid via urination (Willmer 1986, 1988), in this study we focus on external nectar concentrating (Figures 1 and 2), whereby bees regurgitate a drop of nectar and then manipulate it with the mouthparts to evaporate off excess liquid (Park 1925 Rayment 1935 Roberts 1969 Corbet and Willmer 1980). Here, we define nectar concentrating as the process of increasing the sugar content of nectar through the external removal of excess water. However, except for honey bees, it remains poorly known how bees manipulate and process nectar in order to concentrate it. One way bees can deal with nectar with a low sugar concentration is by concentrating the nectar themselves (Corbet and Willmer 1980 Bertsch 1984). In addition, bees that drink nectar via suction (rather than lapping) forage more efficiently on lower nectar concentrations (Borrell 2004 Kim et al. ![]() In general, bees prefer nectar with higher sugar concentration than is generally provided by plants (Roubik and Buchmann 1984 Roubik et al. The sugar concentration of nectar is variable and depends on the plant species, individual, weather, rate of removal by pollinators, and time of day, among other factors (Corbet 1978 Corbet et al. Nectar is used by bees for their own energetic needs as well as part of the provisions for their larvae. Our methods highlight how community science images validated by experts represent a rapidly growing source for aggregating novel behavioral data. Nectar concentrating has various purposes, including preparation for long-term storage in hives, modification before adding to larval provisions, removal of excess water for efficient storage in the crop, thermoregulation, and potentially for nest construction. It is especially conspicuous in halictid and hylaeine bees. We find this behavior to be taxonomically widespread, with observations of nectar concentrating behavior documented in 51 genera in six families. Here, we combine accounts and images from publications, community science portals, and our field observations to document the breadth of nectar concentrating behavior in bees. However, observations of this behavior in disparate bee groups suggest this behavior is widespread. It has long been known that some bees concentrate nectar externally with their mouthparts, including honey bees and stingless bees. Nectar is one of the most important resources used by bees.
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