Solitary bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) nesting in trap nests in Aguazul, Casanare

Approximately 5% of the 20,000 species of bees are solitary and nest in pre-existing cavities. Like the rest of the melitofauna, they also provide multiple ecosystem services that promote habitat conservation, the maintenance of food chains, and improved agricultural production. In Colombia, information on these communities is minimal, especially in regions such as the Orinoquia, which due to its history is one of the least studied departments but today is in the spotlight because of its oil potential. For this reason, the following work carried out the first approximation of the biodiversity of solitary bees nesting in pre-existing cavities in Aguazul, Casanare. Employing stations with cardboard and bamboo trap nests, the bee community was studied in the foothills and the savannah. The richness and abundance of the bee community were also evaluated. Among the 685 individuals collected, seven species of bees were found nesting in the trap nests, nine belonging to the Apidae family and one to the Megachilidae family. Among the natural enemies, two species of the families Apidae, one species of the Megachilidae family, two species of the order Diptera and one species of the order Coleoptera were found. The most abundant bee species over time was of the genus Tetrapedia, representing 60%. The local meteorological conditions played an important role in the phenology of the bee species of the studied community.