Dear Bee people -
 
Some months ago I asked you for suggestions that could lead to the
identification of fossil, Pleistocene, brood cells of some solitary bee
that my wife and I had found in numbers on the eastern Canary Islands. Once
more, thanks to all those wo responded, in particular Scott Miller, Karsten
Schonrogge and Michael Schwarz.
 Now I have a second question, related to these same ichnofossils. A
detailed study of the cells of this bee (MAYBE an Anthophora) we took home
shows an approximately 32% mortality due to predators (such as caused by
Mutillidae, Meloidae and Bombyliidae). On top of that there is a mortality
of 12% due to unknown causes (cells remaining closed, although not
manifestly attacked by a predator). On top of this already impressive pre-
imaginal mortality, there obviously must be a mortality of unknown
importance cased by brood parasites, that sneak in an egg, but leave the
construction of the cell intact and leave the cell in a normal way.
 Now I am no bee ecologist, but still I would like to compare these
data of pre-adult mortality to those of other species. Is anybody of you
aware of such data?
 
Thanks in advance for any help
Willem
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Dr. Willem N. Elllis
Department of Entomology, Institute of Taxonomic Zoology,
Plantage Middenlaan 64, 1018 DH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Telephone (020) 5256240
Private address (most of the time you'll find me here!):
Jisperveldstraat 591, 1024 BD Amsterdam; tel. 020-6328080.
bitnet:   a429will@hasara11
internet: [log in to unmask]
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