Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Utilizing Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth (Bignoniaceae) in Urban Landscapes: A Comparison of Occurrence Patterns and Community Composition in Three Cities in Northwestern Costa Rica

Tecoma sums (L.) Juss. ex Kunth (Bignoniaceae) is a ubiquitous showy plant species that occurs naturally throughout much of the tropics and is commonly used as an ornamental in urban landscapes. The natural distribution and abundance of this floral resource in northwestern Costa Rica presents the opportunity for a comparative study of urban bees across repeated samples and in multiple cities, filling an important data gap in urban bee ecology. Community composition and daily foraging patterns of bees visiting flowering urban T stalls resources were outlined and compared over a 21-month period from July 2007 to March 2009. A total of 27 species were identified as foragers, accounting for over 10% of the known diversity from nearby wildlands. These bees were in the families Apidae and Halictidae and represented diverse feeding and nesting habits, as well as social and solitary life histories. Centris eurypatana Snelling, Ancyloscelis sp. 1, and Nannotriogna perilampoides (Cresson) were the dominant species collected and accounted for nearly 75% of all records. Clear daily phenology was evident, with peak visitation occurring before 1300h. Common visitors can be sorted into early morning or full day foragers represented by Xylocopa and Halictus species, respectively. Community similarity and relative taxon dominance in each city appears to be related to the surrounding pen-urban landscapes, however further study is needed to verify this trend. The potential of T. stans to serve as an in-situ monitoring resource for urban bee communities is discussed as the natural distribution and attractiveness present opportunities across a broad geographic range.