Conducted between Feb. 1996 and Dec. 1998
X. aeratus were collected on KI and WW
X. bombylans were collected from Queensland and
WW
Nests were collected when temperatures were less
than 20 degrees Celcius and when it was dark or
raining so that all inhabitants were most likely
inside.
The entrances were then blocked with tissue paper
and sealed with electrical tape and shipped in ice
(Death by Freezing).
Adult females were removed and preserved for
ovarian dissections. Their ovary size was
measured by the 4 largest oocytes. They could be
determined from the younger females by their wing
wear, wing color, and ovary size.
A total of 459 colonies were collected