Obtaining colonies of stingless bees in the wild for the formation or expansion of meliponaries and other purposes is permitted by law in Brazil using bait containers or trap nests, and other non-destructive methods. We tested the efficiency of trap nests made from plastic bottles for attraction and nesting of stingless bees in the central Brazilian Amazon. We used 2-L and 5-L bottles and three types of attractants (cerumen and geopropolis from Melipona seminigra, M. interrupta and a mix of the two). We used 216 trap nests distributed in three experimental areas during 13 months. Visitation by six species of stingless bees in 58 (26.9%) trap nests, and nesting by three species in 12 (5.6%) trap nests in two areas near meliponaries was recorded. There was no significant difference between trap-nest size, nor among attractants for visitation or nesting, suggesting that the availability of cavities or hollows is more important than odor for nesting. Monthly pooled visitation and nesting events were not correlated with monthly rainfall. Based on our results, we can conclude that, despite the low capture rate, the acquisition of swarms through nest traps is a viable alternative to obtain new colonies of stingless bees for meliponaries.
Stingless bees build their nests using, in general, clay, wax and resins; in addition, these bees also use resins for defense against natural enemies and as an antimicrobial agent. Our goal was to register the stingless bees that collect resin from Bertholletia excelsa, and the observations were made in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Manaus, Amazonas, with five species recorded: Melipona (Michmelia) seminigra, Trigona albipennis, Trigona hypogea, Trigona williana, and Ptilotrigona lurida. Bees invest substantial amounts of energy and labor to collect resin from a wide spectrum of different plant species, and the resin must be considered as a necessary resource for the conservation of Amazonian stingless bees.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.