Pollen spectrum of honey produced in cerrado areas of Minas Gerais State (Brazil)

Abstract

The pollen spectra of honey samples collected in five apiaries situated near cerrado areas in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, were studied from April 1996 to April 1998 in order to establish the contribution of different plant species in pollen or nectar production The honey samples were characterized by the following native species: Astronium sp., Alternanthera sp., Schinus sp., and Serjanea sp. The pollinic participation percentage of those species was related to the degree of preservation in the areas.

Plantas apícolas de importância para Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) em fragmento de cerrado em Itirapina, SP

“…demonstra o potencial apícola dessa planta na área estudada. Bastos et al (2003), analisando o espectro polínico presente no mel produzido por A. mellifera em área de cerrado de Minas Gerais, verificaram alterações nesse espectro durante as estações seca e chuvosa do ano, caracterizado pela presença de Astronium sp., Schinus sp., Eucalyptus sp., Alternanthera sp., Serjanea sp., Baccharis sp., Hyptis sp. e Mimosa sp.…”

“…Apesar de existirem controvérsias em relação ao seu uso (Molan 1998), esse método ainda é o que tem sido mais utilizado, sendo aplicado em diversos estudos conduzidos em diferentes localidades do país e do exterior (e.g. Barth1989, Seijo et al 1992, Moreti et al 2000, Carvalho et al 2001, Bastos et al 2003.…”

Pollen harvest by Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the Dourados region, Mato Grosso do Sul state (Brazil)

“…What is more, the proximity of the trees to the hive greatly infl uences the choice of this pollen source and the fl oral morphology displays no diffi culty for collection. Eucalyptus is also a nectar source for the Africanized honey bee (Santos 1961;Vanderhuck 1995;Bastos et al 2003). In contrast to Eucalyptus being collected most of the year (9 months), Raphanus raphanistrum was less constant (5 months) but abundant when used.…”

Pollen analysis of honey and pollen collected by Apis mellifera linnaeus, 1758 (Hymenoptera, Apidae), in a mixed environment of Eucalyptus plantation and native cerrado in Southeastern Brazil

“…Currently, only 20% of its primary vegetation is left and only 1.2% is protected in conservation units (Mittermeier et al, 2000). Some features of the Cerrado, such as vegetation diversity, great richness in nectariferous/pollineferous plants and low density of trees, make this a favorable region for beekeeping (Bastos et al, 2003). According to Bego (1995, 1996) and Viana et al (1997), A. mellifera is one of the most common flower visitors of the Cerrado.…”

“…In the state of Minas Gerais, most of the 1.5 million hectares of planted forest is eucalyptus plantations (Silveira, 2004), of wich the species used for the production of cellulose, wood and charcoal, are considered to be important pollen and nectar sources for the honeybees (Bastos, 1995;Bastos et al, 2003;Melo, 2004). For this reason, beekeepers frequently search for eucalyptus plantations to establish their bee yards.…”