DOCSLIB.ORG

Trap-Nests for Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) Ricardo Oliveira, Cristiano Menezes, Ademilson Soares, Vera Fonseca

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Trap-Nests for Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) Ricardo Oliveira, Cristiano Menezes, Ademilson Soares, Vera Fonseca Trap-nests for stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) Ricardo Oliveira, Cristiano Menezes, Ademilson Soares, Vera Fonseca To cite this version: Ricardo Oliveira, Cristiano Menezes, Ademilson Soares, Vera Fonseca. Trap-nests for stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini). Apidologie, Springer Verlag, 2012, 44 (1), pp.29-37. 10.1007/s13592- 012-0152-y. hal-01201269 HAL Id: hal-01201269 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01201269 Submitted on 17 Sep 2015 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Apidologie (2013) 44:29–37 Original article * INRA, DIB and Springer-Verlag, France, 2012 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-012-0152-y Trap-nests for stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) 1 2,3 Ricardo Caliari OLIVEIRA , Cristiano MENEZES , 4 5 Ademilson Espencer Egea SOARES , Vera Lúcia Imperatriz FONSECA 1Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany and Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands 2Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil 3Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém, PA, Brazil 4Departamento de Genética da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil 5Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Mossoró, RN, Brazil Received 8 April 2012 – Revised 27 May 2012 – Accepted 5 June 2012 Abstract – Most stingless bee species build their nests inside tree hollows. In this paper, we present trap-nest containers which simulate nesting cavities so as to attract swarms of stingless bees. Although regularly used by stingless bee beekeepers in Brazil, this technique to obtain new colonies has not yet been systematically studied. We used two different types of trap-nests (plastic and cardboard) of four different sizes (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 L) containing propolis extract and wax. Over a period of 2 years, 61 swarms of nine different stingless bee species were attracted to the trap-nests. Most swarms chose the largest container (3 L); swarms were collected mostly in springtime (October–December). The plastic containers were more successfully occupied than others by stingless bee swarms. Trap-nests are a viable tool for stingless beekeepers, researchers and conservation biologists to obtain and study stingless bee colonies. stingless bees / trap-nest / swarming / Meliponini 1. INTRODUCTION for each species (Roubik 2006; Rasmussen and Camargo 2008). The majority of stingless bee species (Hyme- In highly eusocial bees (honey bees and noptera, Meliponini) build their nests inside pre- stingless bees), the foundation of new colonies existing hollows, usually in tree trunks, branches occurs through swarming. Unlike honeybees, or ground cavities (Roubik 1983, 2006; the swarming process in stingless bees is Nogueira-Neto 1997;Eltzetal.2003). Few gradual and occurs in rather small numbers. species can build their own cavity inside termite During the swarm process in stingless bees, nests (Camargo and Pedro 2003), and some can workers from the mother nest choose a new build exposed nests on walls or tree branches cavity and start to prepare it by cleaning and (Roubik 2006, Rasmussen and Camargo 2008). bringing nest material from the mother nest. Nest architecture, entrance shape and population They build the colony entrance (which is size are very diverse and usually characteristic usually species specific) and food pots, and some workers start to forage while others Corresponding author: R.C. Oliveira, remain visiting the mother nest. When the new [email protected] nest is ready, more workers fly together with a Manuscript editor: James Nieh virgin queen, which will perform the nuptial 30 R.C. Oliveira et al. flight soon after arriving at the new nest. The an important step to improving success rates and contact between mother and daughter nest can making this technique a viable tool for beekeep- last from few days to several months, according ing, research and conservation of stingless bees. to resources availability and the stingless bee The objectives of this study were to verify the species (Nogueira-Neto 1954;Juliani1967; effectiveness of the use of trap-nests for stingless Terada 1972; Wille and Orozco 1975; Inoue et bees in terms of: (1) which stingless bee species al. 1984; Engels and Imperatriz-Fonseca 1990; are attracted to trap-nests; (2) the ideal volume for van Veen and Sommeijer 2000). It has been each species; (3) the best season to attract predicted that many stingless bee species need swarms; (4) whether one material is preferable to swarm only once in 20 years to maintain their to another; and (5) what limitations, if any, this populations (Slaa 2006). Factors like the colony technique suffers from. We also discuss the capacity to generate virgin queens and workers possibility of using trap-nests in stingless bee for the swarm are very important in the conservation efforts. swarming process (Michener 1974). Although the swarming process has been described several times, many aspects remain unknown; 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS for example, how and why do they choose the new nesting site. 2.1. Trap-nests Stingless bee beekeepers have observed that stingless bees tend to establish new nests in old Plastic bottles and cardboard boxes with four different hives which were previously occupied by other volumes were used to build the trap-nests (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, colonies. Based on these observations, they and 3.0 L). These two materials were chosen because started to lay out empty containers containing they are relatively easy to obtain and cheap (compared to propolis and wax around their meliponaries, in wooden boxes, for example), facilitating the use of order to attract the swarms to these “traps”. hundreds of them and decreasing the possibility of Many beekeepers report success in obtaining robbery. Each trap-nest consists of a set of four different new colonies in this manner. Such “trap-nests” volumes, made either of plastic or cardboard (Figure 1). A solution of propolis was made by diluting batumen can be made from different materials (such as and cerumen of different stingless bee species (Meli- wood, plywood, cardboard or plastic) and are pona quadrifasciata, Tetragonisca angustula, Frieseo- often baited with substances attractive to bees mellita varia,andScaptotrigona sp.) in alcohol. This such as propolis, honey and/or wax. solution was then sprayed inside the containers. A PVC The use of trap-nests is the only legal method elbow (20 mm) coated in Apis mellifera wax and of collecting stingless bee colonies in the field in propolis solution was inserted in the middle section of Brazil (CONAMA 2004). Moreover, collecting the container to act as an entrance tube. Plastic wild nests is costly in terms of both time and containers were black to prevent light shining through labor. Although some people are successful in the walls, and the cardboard trap-nests were wrapped collecting established colonies from trees without with black plastic bags to protect them from rain. Every apparent loss (Colleto-Silva 2005), this technique 6 months, more propolis solution was spread at the entrance and the damaged trap-nests were refurbished. is not ideal as it may result in the death of the tree and has high rates of colony loss due to 2.2. Study site and experimental setup damage to the colony during transfer to a hive. Although the use of trap-nests by stingless bee The study was carried at University of São Paulo beekeepers is becoming more common, this (USP), Ribeirão Preto campus (21°09′50″S, 47°51′ technique has only been studied a few times 30″W) and at Aretuzina Farm in São Simão (21°26′ before, mainly looking to see whether the trap- 18″S, 47° 34′45″W), about 40 km from the campus. nests were occupied or not by stingless bees (Inoue These areas show a relative high density of stingless et al. 1993; Malkowski et al. 2006; Alvarenga bee nests, as meliponaries stocked with several 2008). Understanding how the trap-nests work is species are kept in both of them. The sites are “green Trap-nests for stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) 31 a b Figure 1. Trap-nests installed on tree trunks: a plastic trap-nest, b cardboard trap-nest. islands” surrounded by urban areas or agricultural analyses with Monte Carlo permutation tests (10,000 fields. Currently, there are 21 stingless bee species random permutations) to evaluate whether the ob- among native and introduced at Ribeirão Preto served frequencies were different from random. A campus and approximately 10 more are kept in hives Pearson test was used to measure the correlation in the scientific meliponary (Freitas 2001; Oliveira, between the average monthly temperature and the unpublished data). number of swarms to the trap-nests. Statistical The trap-nests were installed on tree trunks ca. 1.5 m analysis was carried out using R 2.11.1 (R Develop- in height. Their positions at each site was randomly ment Core Team 2010). chosen. The study was carried out from April 2007 to April 2009. In the first year, we used only plastic trap- nests (200 groups of plastic trap-nests at Ribeirão Preto 3. RESULTS campus and 100 groups at Aretuzina Farm). In the second year, cardboard trap-nests were added at both study sites (200 groups of cardboard trap-nests at Ribeirão Preto 3.1. Species attractiveness campus and 100 groups at Aretuzina Farm).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ARTHROPOD COMMUNITIES and PASSERINE DIET: EFFECTS of SHRUB EXPANSION in WESTERN ALASKA by Molly Tankersley Mcdermott, B.A./B.S
    Arthropod communities and passerine diet: effects of shrub expansion in Western Alaska Item Type Thesis Authors McDermott, Molly Tankersley Download date 26/09/2021 06:13:39 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/7893 ARTHROPOD COMMUNITIES AND PASSERINE DIET: EFFECTS OF SHRUB EXPANSION IN WESTERN ALASKA By Molly Tankersley McDermott, B.A./B.S. A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biological Sciences University of Alaska Fairbanks August 2017 APPROVED: Pat Doak, Committee Chair Greg Breed, Committee Member Colleen Handel, Committee Member Christa Mulder, Committee Member Kris Hundertmark, Chair Department o f Biology and Wildlife Paul Layer, Dean College o f Natural Science and Mathematics Michael Castellini, Dean of the Graduate School ABSTRACT Across the Arctic, taller woody shrubs, particularly willow (Salix spp.), birch (Betula spp.), and alder (Alnus spp.), have been expanding rapidly onto tundra. Changes in vegetation structure can alter the physical habitat structure, thermal environment, and food available to arthropods, which play an important role in the structure and functioning of Arctic ecosystems. Not only do they provide key ecosystem services such as pollination and nutrient cycling, they are an essential food source for migratory birds. In this study I examined the relationships between the abundance, diversity, and community composition of arthropods and the height and cover of several shrub species across a tundra-shrub gradient in northwestern Alaska. To characterize nestling diet of common passerines that occupy this gradient, I used next-generation sequencing of fecal matter. Willow cover was strongly and consistently associated with abundance and biomass of arthropods and significant shifts in arthropod community composition and diversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Classification of the Apidae (Hymenoptera)
    Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Mi Bee Lab 9-21-1990 Classification of the Apidae (Hymenoptera) Charles D. Michener University of Kansas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/bee_lab_mi Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Michener, Charles D., "Classification of the Apidae (Hymenoptera)" (1990). Mi. Paper 153. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/bee_lab_mi/153 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Bee Lab at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mi by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 4 WWvyvlrWryrXvW-WvWrW^^ I • • •_ ••^«_«).•>.• •.*.« THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENC5;^ULLETIN LIBRARY Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 75-164 Sept. 21,1990 OCT 23 1990 HARVARD Classification of the Apidae^ (Hymenoptera) BY Charles D. Michener'^ Appendix: Trigona genalis Friese, a Hitherto Unplaced New Guinea Species BY Charles D. Michener and Shoichi F. Sakagami'^ CONTENTS Abstract 76 Introduction 76 Terminology and Materials 77 Analysis of Relationships among Apid Subfamilies 79 Key to the Subfamilies of Apidae 84 Subfamily Meliponinae 84 Description, 84; Larva, 85; Nest, 85; Social Behavior, 85; Distribution, 85 Relationships among Meliponine Genera 85 History, 85; Analysis, 86; Biogeography, 96; Behavior, 97; Labial palpi, 99; Wing venation, 99; Male genitalia, 102; Poison glands, 103; Chromosome numbers, 103; Convergence, 104; Classificatory questions, 104 Fossil Meliponinae 105 Meliponorytes,
    [Show full text]
  • (Apidae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Marília Silva, Mauro Ramalho, Daniela Monteiro
    Diversity and habitat use by stingless bees (Apidae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Marília Silva, Mauro Ramalho, Daniela Monteiro To cite this version: Marília Silva, Mauro Ramalho, Daniela Monteiro. Diversity and habitat use by stingless bees (Apidae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Apidologie, Springer Verlag, 2013, 44 (6), pp.699-707. 10.1007/s13592-013-0218-5. hal-01201339 HAL Id: hal-01201339 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01201339 Submitted on 17 Sep 2015 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Apidologie (2013) 44:699–707 Original article * INRA, DIB and Springer-Verlag France, 2013 DOI: 10.1007/s13592-013-0218-5 Diversity and habitat use by stingless bees (Apidae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest 1,2 1 1 Marília Dantas E. SILVA , Mauro RAMALHO , Daniela MONTEIRO 1Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização, ECOPOL, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campus Universitário de Ondina, Rua Barão do Jeremoabo s/n, Ondina, CEP 40170-115, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil 2Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Baiano, Campus Governador Mangabeira, Rua Waldemar Mascarenhas, s/n—Portão, CEP 44350000, Governador Mangabeira, Bahia, Brazil Received 28 August 2012 – Revised 16 May 2013 – Accepted 27 May 2013 Abstract – The present study discusses spatial variations in the community structure of stingless bees as well as associated ecological factors by comparing the nest densities in two stages of forest regeneration in a Brazilian Tropical Atlantic rainforest.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity and Nesting Substrates of Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponina) in a Forest Remnant
    Hindawi Publishing Corporation Psyche Volume 2012, Article ID 370895, 9 pages doi:10.1155/2012/370895 Research Article Diversity and Nesting Substrates of Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Meliponina) in a Forest Remnant Estefane Nascimento Leoncini Siqueira, Bruno Ferreira Bartelli, Andre´ Rosalvo Terra Nascimento, and Fernanda Helena Nogueira-Ferreira Instituto de Biologia, Pos-graduac´ ¸ao˜ em Ecologia e Conservac¸ao˜ de Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de Uberlandia,ˆ 38400-902 Uberlandia,ˆ MG, Brazil Correspondence should be addressed to Fernanda Helena Nogueira-Ferreira, [email protected] Received 15 August 2012; Accepted 12 September 2012 Academic Editor: Kleber Del-Claro Copyright © 2012 Estefane Nascimento Leoncini Siqueira et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Stingless bees are abundant and diverse key actors in several plant-pollinator networks in the neotropics, but little is known about their natural history and ecology. This study aims to contribute to knowledge about the diversity and dispersion of stingless bees and discusses the importance of nesting substrates. It was carried out in the Araguari river valley in Minas Gerais, Brazil, where a nest site survey was conducted in an area of 100 ha during 11 alternate months from 2006 to 2008, for a total of 1,200 observation hours. Sixty-nine nests were found, belonging to 12 genera and 20 different species. Nests of Melipona rufiventris were by far the most abundant. Stingless bees nested more frequently in hollows of live trees (64%), and 11 different substrates were identified.
    [Show full text]
  • Stingless Bee Nesting Biology David W
    Stingless bee nesting biology David W. Roubik To cite this version: David W. Roubik. Stingless bee nesting biology. Apidologie, Springer Verlag, 2006, 37 (2), pp.124-143. hal-00892207 HAL Id: hal-00892207 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00892207 Submitted on 1 Jan 2006 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Apidologie 37 (2006) 124–143 124 c INRA/DIB-AGIB/ EDP Sciences, 2006 DOI: 10.1051/apido:2006026 Review article Stingless bee nesting biology* David W. Ra,b a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá, República de Panamá b Unit 0948, APO AA 34002-0948, USA Received 2 October 2005 – Revised 29 November 2005 – Accepted 23 December 2005 Abstract – Stingless bees diverged since the Cretaceous, have 50 times more species than Apis,andare both distinctive and diverse. Nesting is capitulated by 30 variables but most do not define clades. Both architectural features and behavior decrease vulnerability, and large genera vary in nest habit, architecture and defense. Natural stingless bee colony density is 15 to 1500 km−2. Symbionts include mycophagic mites, collembolans, leiodid beetles, mutualist coccids, molds, and ricinuleid arachnids.
    [Show full text]
  • The Very Handy Bee Manual
    The Very Handy Manual: How to Catch and Identify Bees and Manage a Collection A Collective and Ongoing Effort by Those Who Love to Study Bees in North America Last Revised: October, 2010 This manual is a compilation of the wisdom and experience of many individuals, some of whom are directly acknowledged here and others not. We thank all of you. The bulk of the text was compiled by Sam Droege at the USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab over several years from 2004-2008. We regularly update the manual with new information, so, if you have a new technique, some additional ideas for sections, corrections or additions, we would like to hear from you. Please email those to Sam Droege ([email protected]). You can also email Sam if you are interested in joining the group’s discussion group on bee monitoring and identification. Many thanks to Dave and Janice Green, Tracy Zarrillo, and Liz Sellers for their many hours of editing this manual. "They've got this steamroller going, and they won't stop until there's nobody fishing. What are they going to do then, save some bees?" - Mike Russo (Massachusetts fisherman who has fished cod for 18 years, on environmentalists)-Provided by Matthew Shepherd Contents Where to Find Bees ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Nets ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Netting Technique ......................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 15. Geological History of the Stingless Bees (Apidae: Meliponini)
    1 Stingless bees process honey and pollen in cerumen pots, 2013 Vit P & Roubik DW, editors 15. Geological History of the Stingless Bees (Apidae: Meliponini) ENGEL Michael S*, MICHENER Charles D* Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA * Corresponding authors: Michael S Engel, Email: [email protected] Charles D Michener, Email: [email protected] Received: March 2013; Accepted: April, 2013 Abstract A brief overview of the fossil record of stingless bees is provided. The eleven fossil species of Meliponini are discussed in order of descending geological age and placed within the paleoecological and paleogeographical context of their period. The earliest fossil meliponine is Cretotrigona prisca from the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey, USA, while the youngest are various species preserved in relatively modern copals. The implications of these species for understanding the evolutionary history of Meliponini are briefly discussed. Keywords: Anthophila, Apoidea, biogeography, climate change, Meliponini, paleontology Introduction Stingless bees (Apinae: Meliponini) are abundant in fossil shops. It is similarly not difficult to find the tropical parts of the world and are particularly stingless bees in copal (see below) from many frequent and diverse in the New World. Like their tropical regions of the world, sometimes with large sister tribe, the Apini or true honey bees, meliponines numbers of individuals in a single piece. Despite this are highly eusocial, living in often large, perennial abundance, most of such material represents very few colonies consisting of a worker caste, a queen, and species, while the remaining fossil Meliponini are sometimes males.
    [Show full text]
  • CHARACTERIZATION of ESTERASES in Tetragonisca Angustula and Tetragona Clavipes (HYMENOPTERA; MELIPONINAE)
    REGULAR PAPER CHARACTERIZATION OF ESTERASES IN Tetragonisca angustula AND Tetragona clavipes (HYMENOPTERA; MELIPONINAE) Maria Claudia Colla Ruvolo-Takasusuki1*, Luiz Henrique de Oliveira Viana1, Tatiane Vicente Baitala1, Kely Cristina Nicolin1 and Vagner de Alencar Arnaut de Toledo2 1Department of Cellular Biology and Genetics, and 2Department of Zootechnology, Maringá State University (UEM), Maringá, PR, Brazil. ABSTRACT Esterases form a large, diverse group of enzymes with wide, overlapping substrate specificities and patterns of inhibition. These enzymes occur in a large variety of isoforms encoded by distinct gene loci with a high genetic variability and temporal differences in expression that make them appropriate for studying population structure. In this work, we investigated the substrate specificity and pattern of esterase expression in body parts of the stingless bees Tetragonisca angustula and Tetragona clavipes. Fourteen hives of T. angustula were collected in Cianorte and T. clavipes were collected from three colonies in Maringá, two cities in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná. The esterase electrophoretic patterns were determined using polyacrylamide gels. Seven bands of esterase activity were detected in T. clavipes (EST-1 to EST-7) and two bands in T. angustula (EST-1 and EST-2). There was variation in the tissue esterase activity of T. clavipes, with EST-6 occurring in the abdomen of workers and EST-7 occurring in cephalic/thoracic extracts. The differences in the number of esterase bands and substrate specificity were attributed to the number of esterase loci involved in each species, and/or variation in substrates specificities. The variation seen here should be useful for determining the role of esterases in intermediate metabolism in the Trigonini, as well as to use esterases as a genetic marker for this stingless bee.
    [Show full text]
  • FLIGHT ACTIVITY of Tetragona Clavipes (FABRICIUS, 1804) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) at the SÃO PAULO UNIVERSITY CAMPUS in RIBEIRÃO PRETO
    Original Article 118 FLIGHT ACTIVITY OF Tetragona clavipes (FABRICIUS, 1804) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) AT THE SÃO PAULO UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN RIBEIRÃO PRETO ATIVIDADE DE VÔO DE Tetragona clavipes (FABRICIUS, 1804) (Hymenopetra, Apidae, Meliponini) NO CAMPUS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO EM RIBEIRÃO PRETO Marcelo RODRIGUES¹; Weyder Cristiano SANTANA ¹; Geusa Simone FREITAS ¹; Ademilson Espencer Egea SOARES¹ ² 1. Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto - FMRP, Universidade de São Paulo - USP; [email protected] ABSTRACT: The Tetragona clavipes (Fabricius, 1804) bees, knowing as “borá”, is found in all Brazil country until south of Parana state. However in the São Paulo state, this species is not very common. Our main aim was, in São Paulo University Campus at Ribeirão Preto, to realize the characterization of the flight activity of this bee, showing possible relations some environmental factors, such as temperature, relative humidity and “A” type ultraviolet radiation. Data were obtained during September and October months (Spring) and showed that there is a high correlation between the start and finish of the flight activity and environmental temperature. However the UVA radiation and specially air relative humidity did not show relevant role on this behavior and they were considered secondary factors. KEYWODS: Flight activity. Tetrágona. Meliponini. Temperature. Ultraviolet radiation. Relative humidity. INTRODUCTION Therefore, knowing the Meliponini flight activity is essential for the understanding of the foraging The Apini and Meliponini (MICHENER, patterns of these bees, as well as to obtain subsidies 2000) are highly eusocial bees because they live in for the use of these insects on the crop pollination colonies built by a number of workers on different (PICK; BLOCHTEIN, 2002).
    [Show full text]
  • Observations on the Urban Ecology of the Neotropical Stingless Bee Tetragonisca Angustula (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)
    KU ScholarWorks | http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu Please share your stories about how Open Access to this article benefits you. Observations on the urban ecology of the Neotropical stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini). by Velez-Ruiz, Victor Gonzalez, and Michael Engel 2013 This is the published version of the article, made available with the permission of the publisher. The original published version can be found at the link below. Engel, Michael S. (2013). Observations on the urban ecology of the Neotropical stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini). Journal of Melittology 15:41647. Published version: https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/melittology/ article/view/4528 Terms of Use: http://www2.ku.edu/~scholar/docs/license.shtml KU ScholarWorks is a service provided by the KU Libraries’ Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright. Journal of Melittology Bee Biology, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics The latest buzz in bee biology No. 15, pp. 1–8 29 July 2013 Observations on the urban ecology of the Neotropical stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) Rita I. Velez-Ruiz1, Victor H. Gonzalez2,3, & Michael S. Engel3,4 Abstract. Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille) is a small, docile, cavity-nesting stingless bee that is widely distributed in the Neotropical region. This species is particularly abundant in disturbed environments, including human settlements. Between August 2005 and March 2006, we located and followed during eight months 59 nests of this species in Medellín, the second most popu- lated city in Colombia. Herein, we document their foraging behavior, mortality, and incidence of predators and natural enemies. Also, to determine if higher ambient temperature and light intensity in urban environments affect the daily foraging activity of T.
    [Show full text]
  • Aspectos Da Biologia Destinados À Criação De Tetragona Clavipes (Fabricius, 1804) (Apidae, Meliponini)
    Raoni da Silva Duarte Aspectos da biologia destinados à criação de Tetragona clavipes (Fabricius, 1804) (Apidae, Meliponini) Versão Corrigida Dissertação apresentada à Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo, como parte das exigências para a obtenção do título de Mestre em Ciências Área de Concentração: Entomologia Orientador: Dr. Ademilson Espencer Egea Soares Ribeirão Preto / SP 2012 Autorizo a reprodução e divulgação total ou parcial deste trabalho, por qualquer meio convencional ou eletrônico, para fins de estudo e pesquisa, desde que citada a fonte. FICHA CATALOGRÁFICA Duarte, Raoni da Silva Aspectos da biologia destinados à criação de Tetragona clavipes (F abricius, 1804) (Apidae, Meliponini) 83p. il.; 30cm. Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada à Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto/ USP. Área de Concentração: Entomologia. Orientador: Soares, Ademilson Espencer Egea 1. Tetragona clavipes 2. Arquitetura de Ninho 3. Palinologia 4. Atividade Antimicrobiana de Mel Nome: DUARTE, Raoni da Silva Título: Aspectos da biologia destinados à criação de Tetragona clavipes (Fabricius, 1804) (Apidae, Meliponini) Dissertação apresentada à Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto da USP, como parte das exigências para a obtenção do título de Mestre em Ciências. Área de concentração: Entomologia Aprovado em: Banca Examinadora Prof (a). Dr (a).____________________________Instituição: ____________________ Julgamento: ________________ Assinatura:__________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Melittology Bee Biology, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics the Latest Buzz in Bee Biology No
    Journal of Melittology Bee Biology, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics The latest buzz in bee biology No. 14, pp. 1–10 29 July 2013 A minute stingless bee in Eocene Fushan amber from northeastern China (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Michael S. Engel1 & Charles D. Michener1 Abstract. The first fossil bee in Eocene amber of the Fushan Coalfield, Liaoning, China is de- scribed and figured. Exebotrigona velteni Engel & Michener, new genus and species (Apinae: Meliponini) is based on a stingless bee worker and is remarkably similar in several apomorphic traits to the species of the New World genus Trigonisca Moure s.l. The diversity of fossil and subfossil Meliponini is briefly summarized, as are the characters and possible affinities of Exe- botrigona. INTRODUCTION The stingless bees (Meliponini) are frequently encountered in the tropics and are particularly abundant and diverse in the Western Hemisphere. Meliponines are high- ly eusocial, living in often large, perennial colonies and in nests constructed of wax, secreted from dorsal metasomal glands, and resin or propolis that is collected from vegetation (Michener, 2013). Nests are frequently found in tree hollows or among branches, although sometimes they are located in the ground, limestone cliffs, or in the walls of building (Wille & Michener, 1973; Wille, 1983; Roubik, 2006; Michener, 2000, 2007, 2013; Bänziger et al., 2011; Engel & Michener, 2013). The most common fossil bee is a meliponine. Proplebeia dominicana (Wille & Chandler) is frequently found in pieces of Early Miocene Dominican amber, with thousands of individuals recovered over the last 50 years (Michener, 1982; Camargo et al., 2000; Engel & Michener, 2013). Meliponines are also the most common bees found in copal and most of these, if not all, are of living species.
    [Show full text]