Challenges to the conservation of stingless bees in Atlantic Forest patches: old approaches, new applications

Abstract

Fragmentation is one of the many threats that leads to the decline in the population of bees, and stingless bees compose the most abundant pollinator group in the neotropical rain forests. Considering the importance of forested areas to the presence of bees that forage above the ground and nest in trees, this study aimed to discuss the effectiveness of artificial bee shelters as a strategy for the conservation of stingless bees in fragmented habitats. Artificial bee shelters (n = 72) were installed in Atlantic Forest patches and were monitored for 8 months. Four (5.5%) artificial shelters were successfully colonized by Scaptotrigona postica (Latreille, 1807) and 23 (32%) shelters contained signs of initial colonization or traces of dead stingless bees. Difficulties faced by the bees in colonizing the artificial bee shelters included water accumulation, predation, and occupation by other species. The occurrence of Scaptotrigona bees may be related to the group’s need to nest in the hollows of living trees. The artificial shelters supported the swarming of Scaptotrigona bees by providing nesting sites that assisted in their self-maintenance in highly fragmented forest patches with scarce adequate nesting sites. The use of artificial bee shelters can be a strategy for studying stingless bees in their natural environment and for evaluating conservation strategies.