Abstract
Beekeeping with stingless bee provides new opportunities to improve the incomes of many households in Malaysia through the sale of honey and other bee products. While Heterotrigona itama is one of the most commonly cultured species of stingless bees, its behavior is not very well understood. Hence, we conducted this study to investigate the behavior of H. itama in exploiting food sources by ascertaining the nectar sugar concentration preferred by the bee. We also aimed to determine the preferred distance of food source from the beehive. Our results suggest that H. itama prefers high sugar concentrations of 35% and above, and most of the bees preferred to forage close to their hive to collect food. We discuss how nectar concentration, food distance, and abiotic factors influence the number of bees exploiting food sources and the overall foraging pattern of H. itama.
Highlights
The stingless bee is a eusocial insect that belongs to the family Apidae and the tribe Meliponini [1,2,3]
There was a significant difference in the number of stingless bee visiting the feeders containing four different sugar concentrations (Kruskal–Wallis test H(2) = 15.57, p < 0.01; Figure 3)
Our study showed that H. itama prefers nectar with a sugar concentration that is higher than 35%
Summary
The stingless bee is a eusocial insect that belongs to the family Apidae and the tribe Meliponini [1,2,3]. The behavior of the stingless bee is dynamic in exploiting plant-based resources [4]. Such as nectar, pollen, resin, latex, leaves, scents, oil, and seed during their foraging flight [5]. Besides plant-based food resources, the stingless bee is known to collect other sources, mainly for nest construction, such as animal feces, water, and clay [5]. Some species of stingless bees build their nests in cavities in pitted trunks or branches of living trees [6], mostly above 1 m from the ground, as well as in rock cavities [7]. There are many species of stingless bees that are still under study. Each species may have its own specific behavior and a requirement that needs to be understood to facilitate their culture for honey collection, and to ensure the sustainability of the colonies, especially in the farming areas
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
