Pollen foraging in colonies of Melipona bicolor (Apidae, Meliponini): effects of season, colony size and queen number

Hilário, Sérgio Dias; Imperatriz-Fonseca, Vera Lúcia

doi:10.4238/vol8-2kerr029

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…These results are validated by the observations of Borges and Blochtein (2005), who observed that temperatures above 13.7°C during the autumn-winter were instrumental in initiating the flight activity of M. obscurior. Another possibility for the low richness of pollen types is a decrease in the external activities of the M. obscurior colonies related to a discontinuation (diapause) in reproductive activity resulting from low temperatures (Hilário and Imperatriz-Fonseca 2009). Facultative reproductive diapause was observed for the same species in this geographic region by Borges and Blochtein (2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Pollen resources and trophic niche breadth of Apis mellifera and Melipona obscurior (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a subtropical climate in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil

et al. 2013

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International audiencePollen sources that comprise the trophic niche of native bee species Melipona obscurior and introduced Apis mellifera and the breadth of this niche were studied in two areas in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil. Pollen obtained from the forager bees during a period of 12 months showed that the richness of pollen types found in each sample varied from 5 to 21 for A. mellifera and from 1 to 10 for M. obscurior. In both areas, A. mellifera had higher niche breadth. M. obscurior demonstrated the temporal specialization, which was primarily related to the use of floral sources with poricidal anthers. The non-native pollen type Eucalyptus produced similar results for both bee species. Knowledge of plant species that sustain bee communities in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil contributes toward the management and conservation of native bee populations and increases the beekeeping of stingless bees and honey bees in this region

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Pollen resources and trophic niche breadth of Apis mellifera and Melipona obscurior (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a subtropical climate in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil

et al. 2013

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“…According to this study, both the availability and localization of floral resources affect the choice of the pollen sources in this species. In M. bicolor, pollen forager ratios varied significantly between seasons and this variation was related to both the production of reproductives and the number of individuals in the colonies (Hilário & Imperatriz-Fonseca, 2009). Quezada-Euán et al (2011) also reported that the worker's body size of Nannotrigona perilampoides may change according to the protein and sugar concentration in larval food.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Foraging behavior of Scaptotrigona depilis (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) and its relationship with temporal and abiotic factors

Figueiredo-Mecca¹,

Bego²,

Nascimento³

2013

Sociobiology

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It is known the importance of bees as pollinators and visiting of flowers in the most world's ecosystems and the special role that stingless bees play in the tropical areas (Roubik, 1989; Biesmeijer & Slaa, 2006). Bees are also known to be efficient pollinators of many crops as about 30% of human food is derived frombee-pollinated crops (reviewed in Slaa et al., 2006). Unpredictable environmental changes affect foraging activities in terms of timing and location of food. There are two main features regulating departure of foraging bees: individual memory and threshold response to react to the foraging stimuli (internal factors), and environmental and colony conditions which determine the level of exposure to stimuli associated with decision to forage (external factors) (Biesmeijer & de Vries, 2001). Colonies of honey bees and stingless bees can allocate more foragers to collect nectar and pollen in response to the amount of food in storage and Abstract Stingless bees play an important role in Tropical and Subtropical ecosystems as pollinators of many plants. The aim of this study was to characterize the pattern of flight activity and foraging for pollen by Scaptotrigona depilis workers and their relation with climatic and temporal factors. We observed flight activity from July 2001 to June 2002 and pollen collection by scoring the flow of workers entering and exiting the colonies. We tested whether environmental (temperature, relative humidity, pluviosity and luminosity) and temporal predictors (month and time of day) affected bees' activities. The study was conducted during one year and the records of observations showed that during the dry season when the length of light is longer, the external activity was more intensive, while during cold months with shorter light period, foraging activity was reduced. Pollen collection showed a peak in February, but in general this activity was regulated by temperature, humidity and daily luminosity.

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“…The influence of weather on foraging activities has been studied in several eusocial bee species [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. These studies report that weather conditions, light intensity, humidity, food availability, competition, colony state, and physiological conditions of individuals are important factors that influence the foraging activities of Melipona species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme Effects of Season on the Foraging Activities and Colony Productivity of a Stingless Bee (Melipona asilvaiMoure, 1971) in Northeast Brazil

Nascimento

2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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This study reports the influence of season on foraging activities and internal colonial parameters of Melipona asilvai in an Atlantic forest area of northeast Brazil. We used video cameras connected to a PC to monitor all departures and returns of foragers and the types of materials they carried. Foraging activities decreased almost 90% from dry to rainy seasons, but temperature and humidity were not the main factors influencing departures. Observed honey storage and an extreme cutback in activities during the rainy period suggest a seasonal diapause in this species.

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Pollen foraging in colonies of Melipona bicolor (Apidae, Meliponini): effects of season, colony size and queen number

Cited by 11 publications

References 29 publications

Pollen resources and trophic niche breadth of Apis mellifera and Melipona obscurior (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a subtropical climate in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil

Pollen resources and trophic niche breadth of Apis mellifera and Melipona obscurior (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a subtropical climate in the Atlantic rain forest of southern Brazil

Foraging behavior of Scaptotrigona depilis (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) and its relationship with temporal and abiotic factors

Extreme Effects of Season on the Foraging Activities and Colony Productivity of a Stingless Bee (Melipona asilvaiMoure, 1971) in Northeast Brazil

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