Flight distance and foraging of Tetragonisca fiebrigi (Apidae: Meliponini) in response to different concentrations of sugar in food resources and abiotic factors

Abstract

Social bees rely on food resources collected from flowers while foraging to guarantee the survival of their offspring. Pollen and nectar are the most important of these resources for protein and energy sources. This study analyzed the maximum flight distance of Tetragonisca fiebrigi (Shwarz, 1938) and the influence of sugar concentration of food resources and abiotic factors on visiting rates. Experiments were carried out in the Botanical Garden in South Brazil. The workers were training to collect sugar syrup from artificial feeders (water and sugar, 1:1) to which an aromatic essence (peach) had been added to attract the bees. It was found that workers reduced the number of visits as the distance to food sources increased. The experiments with feeders indicated that the maximum flight distance of T. fiebrigi workers from the four colonies analyzed reached 600 m. Additionally, 95% of visits to the feeder were within 350 m (colony C) or 400 m (colonies A, B, and D) of the hives. The number of worker visits could be significantly explained for all colonies (p < 0.05) by a relationship with flight distance, with explanatory power ranging from 65% to 89%. Regarding accumulated foraging activity, 75% was concentrated in distances up to 200 m from the colonies and the recruitment increased in higher sugar concentrations. Knowledge about achievable flight distances and effective foraging areas enables the planning of conservation measures, such as ensuring the availability of food resources in the landscape.