Observations of Africanized honey bee Apis mellifera scutellata absence and presence within and outside forests across Rondonia, Brazil

Brown, John C.; Mayes, Daphne M.; Bhatta, Chet

doi:10.1007/s00040-016-0506-y

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Because a nest’s distance from the sampling areas could influence the number of foraging nestmates that come to the bait, and because stingless bee species are eusocial and differ in their recruitment to resources, we based our analyses on presence rather than abundance of each species in our samples. Previous work has examined the influence of sublocations (i.e., forest and nonforest) on bee species richness and foraging behavior (Brown and Oliveira 2013, Brown et al 2016). A full description of the sampling protocol can be found in Brown and Oliveira (2013).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body Size Influences Stingless Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Communities Across a Range of Deforestation Levels in Rondônia, Brazil

Mayes

Bhatta

Shi

et al. 2019

Journal of Insect Science

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Developments in understanding bee responses to habitat loss indicate that body size is a trait with important consequences for conservation. Stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) are a diverse group of eusocial bees providing pollination services in tropical landscapes, exhibiting a large range in body size across species. We tested the effects of deforestation on the body sizes of stingless bee communities by using museum specimens and revisiting a previous effort that sampled stingless bee communities across varying levels of deforestation at 183 sites in Rondônia, Brazil, in 1996–1997. Body size measurements (intertegular distance) from 72 species collected were included as dependent variables in response to forest area, forest edge, and connectivity of forest patches at several spatial scales. We find that stingless bee body size is negatively related to forest cover: mean community body size was larger in areas with greater amounts of deforestation, and smaller in areas with less deforestation. Second, stingless bee species richness was positively associated with forest edge regardless of body size. Lastly, we find that as forest patch isolation increased, the stingless bee community body size also increased. These findings support hypotheses that small stingless bee species might be more negatively affected by deforestation, adding to the growing body of evidence that stingless bees require areas of intact forest in near proximity to other forest patches to conserve these diverse pollinator communities.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body Size Influences Stingless Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Communities Across a Range of Deforestation Levels in Rondônia, Brazil

Mayes

Bhatta

Shi

et al. 2019

Journal of Insect Science

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“…They are deeply embedded in human culture and represent a natural source of food, crafts materials, medicine, and alternative sources of income [ 5 – 8 ], hence emphasizing a strong and robust relationship with humans across the course of history. Stingless bees primarily nest inside the forest cover [ 9 ], but several ethnic peoples around the globe practice a commercial stingless beekeeping technique called “meliponiculture” for supplemental income where they utilize or sell the hive products for food, ethno-medicinal, and cultural purposes [ 10 , 11 ]. Meliponiculture is even well documented by pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica centuries ago in the form of ancient paintings [ 1 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethno-medicinal uses and cultural importance of stingless bees and their hive products in several ethnic communities of Bhutan

Gyeltshen,

Bhatta,

Gurung

et al. 2024

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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Background Indigenous and non-indigenous people in subtropical and temperate areas of Bhutan share an intricate relationship with stingless bees for diverse purposes including ethno-medicinal uses. Stingless bees hold significant importance in the realms of social, economic, cultural, and spiritual aspects. Bhutan's cultural traditions demonstrate a strong bond with the environment, exemplified by the regular use of honey from stingless bees for remedies such as treating the common cold, cough, and sore throat. Methods Ethnographic research was conducted to document the ethno-medicinal uses and cultural importance of stingless in Bhutan. We deployed semi-structured interviews with stingless beekeepers and honey collectors including traditional healers who perform religious rituals for curing and preventing physical and mental illness. Results We documented 22 different uses of stingless bee honey in food, medicine, veterinary medicine, crafts, beliefs, and religious purposes. The relative cultural importance (RCI) of stingless bees among Bhutan's ethnic communities was assessed through our calculations. It was determined that these bees hold notably greater significance for the Lhotshampa communities compared to other ethnic groups in Bhutan. This finding demonstrates the dependence of Hindu ethnic communities on natural resources in their everyday life. All participant communities largely exploit these bees through destructive extraction practices. They often find the natural nests in nearby forests, transfer them as a log hive to their backyards, and practice traditional meliponiculture. Conclusion The ethnic communities of Bhutan use stingless bees for various purposes and the local knowledge are persistent. However, significant efforts should be made to address the ethno-medicinal, ecological, biological, and commercial perspectives of meliponiculture in Bhutan.

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“…However, there is no study about competition conducted within Amazon forests, and we still have scarce data about the role of honey bees in this biome. Previous studies showed that honey bees are more prevalent on deforested areas than inside the closed forests of south-western Amazon ( Brown et al 2016 ). Nevertheless, they were reported as an important alternative pollinator on deforested lands ( Dick et al 2003 , Ricketts 2004 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edible Fruit Plant Species in the Amazon Forest Rely Mostly on Bees and Beetles as Pollinators

Paz

Pinto

Brito

et al. 2021

Journal of Economic Entomology

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Edible fruit plants of tropical forests are important for the subsistence of traditional communities. Understanding the most important pollinators related to fruit and seed production of these plants is a necessary step to protect their pollination service and assure the food security of these communities. However, there are many important knowledge gaps related to floral biology and pollination in megadiverse tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon Forest, due mainly to the high number of plant species. Our study aims to indicate the main pollinators of edible plants (mainly fruits) of the Amazon forest. For this, we adopted a threefold strategy: we built a list of edible plant species, determined the pollination syndrome of each species, and performed a review on the scientific literature searching for their pollinator/visitors. The list of plant species was determined from two specialized publications on Amazon fruit plants, totaling 188 species. The pollination syndrome was determined for 161 species. The syndromes most frequently found among the analyzed species were melittophily (bee pollination), which was found in 101 of the analyzed plant species (54%) and cantharophily (beetle pollination; 26 species; 14%). We also found 238 pollinator/visitor taxa quoted for 52 (28%) plant species in previous publications, with 124 taxa belonging to Apidae family (bees; 52%), mainly from Meliponini tribe (58 taxa; 47%). Knowledge about pollinators is an important step to help on preserving their ecosystem services and maintaining the productivity of fruit trees in the Amazon.

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Observations of Africanized honey bee Apis mellifera scutellata absence and presence within and outside forests across Rondonia, Brazil

Cited by 8 publications

References 19 publications

Body Size Influences Stingless Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Communities Across a Range of Deforestation Levels in Rondônia, Brazil

Body Size Influences Stingless Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Communities Across a Range of Deforestation Levels in Rondônia, Brazil

Ethno-medicinal uses and cultural importance of stingless bees and their hive products in several ethnic communities of Bhutan

Edible Fruit Plant Species in the Amazon Forest Rely Mostly on Bees and Beetles as Pollinators

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