Bees are prolific pollinators and are responsible for the pollination of most wild and cultivated plants. This study aimed to learn about the flight activity of the stingless bee Plebeia aff. flavocincta in tropical conditions as a parameter to evaluate the general state of the colonies, and to investigate the role of food resources and environmental factors in their flight activities. We recorded the worker flight activity (exit, when they leave the hive; trash, when they discard litter; entry with pollen; and entry without pollen) of four colonies throughout the year and monitored biotic and abiotic conditions that could affect the bee´s external activities, such as blooming and meteorological conditions. Results showed that the colonies remained active throughout the year and presented two major periods of external activity; one corresponding to the greater food supply in the field, and the other to time of the year when there were few food resources available. Also, the four flight activities were all strongly correlated with each other. We concluded that in tropical conditions, external activities of P. aff. flavocincta are regulated mainly due to the food resources available rather than the prevailing weather conditions and they are an important indicator of the general health of the colony.
The recent decline in population of generalist bees such as those of the genera Apis and Bombus has shown the need to breed and manage a larger number of bee species. Among the species with potential use for agricultural pollination in the Neotropics, a peculiar small group has specialised in collecting floral oil. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the chemical profile and to identify the main constituents of the floral oil of the nance (Byrsonima sericea), an abundant species in the Northeast of Brazil and widely used by oil-collecting bees. A sample of 400 flowers of the nance were collected between October 2017 and January 2018. The samples were derivatised (MSTFA) and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in a Model 7890B GC Gas Chromatograph System coupled to a Model 5977A MSD mass spectrometer. The compounds were separated using an HP-5ms capillary column and identified by comparing the mass spectra with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) database, and by comparison of the retention indices (RI). From the chromatographic analysis, it was possible to identify 23 constituents, especially fatty acids and carboxylic acids. The results indicate the presence of tricosanoic acid, palmitic acid and heneicosanoic acid as the main constituents of the oil under study. There is still a need for studies that would better explain the relationship of these constituents with the bees that use the oil.
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