Fontes de pólen utilizadas por Apis mellifera L. e algumas espécies de Trigonini (apidae) em Piracicaba (SP)

Abstract

As fontes de pólen utilizadas por uma colônia de Apis mellifera e quatro colônias de algumas espécies de Trigonini foram comparadas durante outubro e novembro de 1996, no Câmpus da ESALQ-USP, Piracicaba (SP) (22o43'S; 47o25'W; altitude: 580 m). A identificação das espécies vegetais visitadas pelas abelhas foi realizada mediante o pólen encontrado nas massas localizadas nas corbículas das operárias das espécies estudadas. Identificaram-se 53 tipos polínicos, sendo a maior porcentagem de similaridade na utilização das fontes de pólen entre Nannotrigona testaceicornis e Tetragonisca angustula e, a menor, entre Apis mellifera e T. angustula. A seqüência das espécies com maior largura do nicho trófico foi A. mellifera seguida de Plebeia droryana, Partamona helleri, T. angustula e N. testaceicornis, enquanto, para a uniformidade de utilização das fontes de pólen, foi P. helleri, P. droryana, A. mellifera, N. testaceicornis e T. angustula.

Pollen Analysis Reveals Plants Foraged by Africanized Honeybees in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil

“…Studies in areas outside pantanal also reported similar patterns to those reported here. A survey based on pollen analysis of pollen loads from A. mellifera and Melipona scutellaris (Latreille) showed that Arecaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae and Rubiaceae were among the most important families for these bees (Carvalho et al 1999, Ramalho et al 2007. Although the habitats in which these studies were conducted are quite different from Pantanal, the results are similar to the present survey.…”

Pollen types collected by Tetragonisca angustula (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in dry vegetation in Northeastern Brazil

“…Compared with that of other Meliponini, the trophic niche of Tetragonisca angustula is relatively small (H' < 1.5) in the two areas studied (Carvalho et al, 1999;Oliveira et al, 2009;Ferreira et al, 2010). However, values close to those recorded in our study were obtained for T. angustula at other Brazilian locations.…”

“…Carvalho et al (1999) recorded that compared with Apis mellifera and three species of Meliponini of the genera Nannotrigona Cockerell, Partamona Schwarz and Plebeia Schwarz, T. angustula foraged less uniformly at Piracicaba (São Paulo). The diversity of floral sources used by Tetragonisca angustula, together with the consistency exhibited by this species in the use of these resources, confirmed the generalist habit of this species.…”

“…The geographical distribution of this group of stingless bees goes beyond the Brazilian territory, extending from Mexico to Argentina (Camargo & Pedro, 2012). Although the pollen collected by T. angustula has been studied in many different types of Brazilian vegetation (Iwama & Melhem, 1979;Imperatriz-Fonseca et al, 1984;Carvalho et al, 1999;Morgado et al, 2011;Novais & Absy, 2013), few studies have been done in caatinga. Novais et al (2006) performed a palynological study of the honey of this species collected in a hyperxerophytic caatinga region at the Canudos Biological Station in the northeastern micro-region of Bahia State.…”

Relationship among Apis mellifera L. stings, swarming and climate conditions in the city of Rio Claro, SP, Brazil

“…In the region of Rio Claro, the augmented demand for food is provided by the flowering of Citrus sinensis (Rutaceae), a species much visited by honeybees. The importance of this plant for A. mellifera is evidenced by the great amount of its pollen in honey, particularly between August and October, in beehives in Rio Claro region (29)(30)(31)(32). In São Paulo state, orange blossom starts after the first rainfalls of the second semester (more than 20 mm of rain) and usually takes place between August and October, which favors the reproductive swarming (33).…”