Abstract
This research was carried out to evaluate the foraging behaviour of Apis mellifera and Scaptotrigona bipunctata and its relationship with environmental variables in Dombeya wallichii considering the following aspects: 1) Type of resource harvested, 2) Visitation rate, 3) Length of visit, 4) sugar concentration in the stored nectar in the honey crop of A. mellifera and secreted by the flower and 5) floral constancy. Both species collected mainly nectar, with a visitation rate of 4.2 flowers for A. mellifera and 1.1 flowers for S. bipunctata and visit length of 9.2 and 34.2 seconds, respectively. The sugar concentration had a positive relationship with temperature and luminosity, with mean values of 12.3% in the nectar and 14.2% in the honey crop. Bees were classified by specialists because the pollen of D. wallichii was predominant in the pollen basket, but the pollen of Emilia sonchifolia and Raphanus sativus was also found. These results suggest that the species under study take advantage of the resources offered by D. wallichii, therefore, this species is an important source for the maintenance of the bees in the season of lack of food.
Highlights
IntroductionPollinators provide an essential service to the food production and natural ecosystems, Apis mellifera is the main species used for pollination of agricultural and horticultural crops because their body parts are modified to effect pollina-
Due to the lack of information on the interaction between the flower of D. wallichii and floral visitors, the present study evaluated the pollination behaviour of A. mellifera and Scaptotrigona bipunctata on D. wallichii, as well as the sugar concentration in the nectar along the day, in flower and in the honey crop of Africanized honeybee
Pollination by bees depends on climatic conditions, as they influence both the crop and the bees [31], from 11 to 12 there is an increase in sugar concentration in nectar, the data show a reduction in nectar collection, coinciding with temperature increase (22 ̊C - 23 ̊C), luminosity (632.5 - 662 100X lux) and relative humidity reduction (50% - 46%)
Summary
Pollinators provide an essential service to the food production and natural ecosystems, Apis mellifera is the main species used for pollination of agricultural and horticultural crops because their body parts are modified to effect pollina-. Interspecific interactions between A. mellifera and wild bees may modify the behaviour and increase the pollination value of individual species [5]. Bee pollination increases the quality and yield of many agricultural crops [10] [11] [12] [13], in Brazil, the beekeeping is mostly focused on the production of honey, propolis and pollen [14] [15]. Among the species used for flowering in the winter period is the Dombeya wallichii
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