Thus, nest morphology is the primary means of classification of these species. The nests of social bees are remarkable for their elaborate construction. If the 'self-organisation' paradigm is correct, the relatively small changes in the rules followed by individuals could result in very large differences in nest construction. The nest entrance of T. carbonaria and the more elaborate entrance tube of T. hockingsi . We suggest that the speciation event between T. carbonaria and T. hockingsi is driven by the differences in nest entrance morphology.
Males aggregate at the front of nests to mate with young queens.
This hypothesis can be tested by manipulation of nest entrance morphology, and genetic identification of the species of males flying in front of nests. You would try to identify natural hybrid colonies, and determine what kind of nests they build. Molecular markers are already developed for this project. It would involve substantial field work in southern Queensland. It has to do with varying task thresholds.