198 
Psyche 
[Vol. 90 
fore and mid-legs was scraped off initially by the mid-legs and then 
the fore-legs. Both pairs of legs then transferred the pollen to the 
hind legs where it was deposited by rubbing the legs together in a 
“hand washing motion.” Pollen removal by the legs was aided by a 
complementary telescoping motion of the abdomen and elevation of 
sternal hairs. As the legs brushed pollen from the side, toward mid- 
sternum and backwards, the abdomen contracted so that the tarsi 
came in contact with the entire surface of the abdomen. The abdo- 
men then elongated and the contraction-brushing motion began 
again. 
The first load of nectar was brought in on the second provisioning 
trip. The female entered head first and picked up the pollen left on 
the first trip with her mouthparts, mixing nectar and pollen into a 
moist paste that she spread over the concavity in the basal partition. 
She then went to the nest entrance, turned around outside on the 
nest face, backed in, and kicked any pollen remaining from the first 
deposition toward the partition. Before pollen deposition this time 
the female arched her body into a ‘U’ shape, with head and abdomen 
as its highest points. Front legs and hind legs were placed approxi- 
mately halfway up opposite walls of the nest, while mid-legs rested 
on the floor. The abdomen was arched and was backed into the 
cavity of the basal partition. Pollen removal then proceeded as 
before and the load fell into the concavity or onto the floor in front 
of the partition. On subsequent trips the female entered head first, 
swinging her head back and forth as she approached the provision, 
picking up stray pollen with her mouthparts. The dry pollen from 
the previous trip was then chewed and mixed with nectar to form a 
paste which she molded into a loaf with her mandibles. Pollen was 
then deposited atop the growing provision and the sequence was 
repeated. 
Prior to nectar regurgitation, the bee usually cleaned her face and 
antennae, removing pollen with her front legs and passing it to her 
hind legs, where it was deposited along the sides of the abdomen. 
She also stopped just in front of the entrance and preened again 
before embarking on the next foraging trip. 
Once the pollen loaf was approximately its ultimate size the 
female used the abdomen tip to plunge a shallow hole in the loaf 
after each pollen deposition. This hole was then filled with nectar on 
