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A Carpenter bee,
Xylocopa caffra, foraging for nectar and pollen. Three
phoretic mites are visible protruding from a special cavity, called
an acarinarium, on her abdomen. The cavity has evolved specifically
to transport mites. The relationship is an example of a mutualism
that is of benefit to both the bee and the mite. The mites hitch a
ride from the nest (a tunnel bored into dead wood, hence the
common name) that the bee developed in to any new nests that she
constructs for her off-spring. The mites feed on fungi in the nest
preventing contamination of the pollen provisions and her larvae.
Photograph © Simon van
Noort |
