Abstract
The current study aimed at estimating the maximum foraging distance of the stingless bee Melipona subnitida by comparing the efficacy of two methods: training of workers with an artificial feeding source and the capture-recapture technique, which consisted at marking bees that were released at different distances from the nest, after which the number of bees that returned to the colony was recorded. Under the training method, the mean foraging distance of the three colonies studied was 1,120 m and maximum foraging distance of 1,160 m. Yet the number of recruits and reactivated foragers for each colony were quantified, the average maximum distance unil recruitment occurred was 886,66 m. In the capture-recapture method, the maximum flight distance of captured foragers ranged from 3,600 to 4,000 m, which was 2,700 m farther than the maximum flight distance recorded using the artificial feeding method. Therefore, we verified that M. subnitida is a species that can travel long distances in search for food. Our results also suggest that an abundance of resources near the nest can reduce its foraging area.
Highlights
Bees are primary pollinators in most regions of the world (Bawa, 1990; Silberbauer-Gottsberger & Gottsberger, 1988)
Our results suggest that the mean foraging distance of M. subnitida, as obtained from the artificial feeder experiment, was approximately 1,120 m
The three classifications of M. subnitida foraging distances revealed that the close foraging distance was approximately 653 m, indicating that at this distance, M. subnitida colonies have a greater ability to maintain a large number of foragers and a facilitated recruitment capacity
Summary
Bees are primary pollinators in most regions of the world (Bawa, 1990; Silberbauer-Gottsberger & Gottsberger, 1988). Their flight range strongly influences the sexual reproduction of most flowering plants and can further determine the genetic structure of plant populations (Campbell, 1985; Waser et al, 1996). The distance that bees travel in search of a resource can directly affect agricultural crops, given that bee pollination is necessary to generate 30% of the human food supply (Slaa et al, 2006). To save time and energy, bees do not forage over long distances unnecessarily (Frisch, 1967; Seeley, 1994). In the summer, when there is a decrease in the food supply near the nest, bees of the genus Apis may use an area 6 to 22-fold larger than the area used during spring or fall (Couvillon et al, 2014)
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