Abstract
Flight activity of bees is influenced both by environmental factors and by internal condition of the colonies. Information about external activity of bees is very important, because it provides data of the species biology, supplying subsidies for the use of these insects in the pollination of crops. The present work aim to evaluate the flight activity of Geotrigona subterranea (Friese, 1901) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in natural environment. This study was performed on the Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais, in the municipality Januária, Minas Gerais State. Two natural nests were observed. The activities of bees of the colonies were recorded three days each month, during the period of December 2011 to November 2012, totaling 924 observations. It was recorded the number of bees leaving and entering the nest, and the type of material transported by them for ten minutes each hour from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. The bees entered the colony carrying pollen, resin, detritus and also without apparent material. The bees began external activities by 6 a.m. at 20°C and finished at 6 p.m. at 28.8°C. The peak of activity of G. subterranea occurs on schedule from 1 to 2 p.m. Even though G. subterranea makes their nests in underground, their foraging activities are very similar to others stingless bee species that usually nest on tree cavities or aerial places. This indicate that despite their particular nesting way the external factors as climatic ones will significantly modulate their foraging pattern in a daily and seasonal way.
Highlights
Even though G. subterranea makes their nests in underground, their foraging activities are very similar to others stingless bee species that usually nest on tree cavities or aerial places
Information about external activity of bees is very important because it provides data of the species biology and aspects of their behavior that impact on their potential for crop pollination (Iwama, 1977; Hilário et al, 2000)
This paper aimed to evaluate the foraging pattern and harvesting of floral and non-floral resources by G. subterranea in a natural environment
Summary
Flight and foraging of social insects, such as stingless bees, are influenced both by the internal conditions of the colony and the variation of external conditions, including climatic conditions and availability of resources for foraging (Kleinert-Giovannini & Imperatriz-Fonseca, 1986; Kerr et al, 1996; Biesmeijer et al, 1999; Nascimento & Nascimento, 2012).The internal conditions of the colony are strongly influenced by the nest population that determines the amount of bees foraging (Kerr et al, 1996).The body size determines the distance of flight and the response of workers to weather factors (Pereboom& Biesmeijer, 2003; Araújo et al, 2004).Environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, light intensity, wind speed, and relative humidity influence the flight activity of stingless bees, its variation throughout the year and the pollination (Kleinert-Giovannini & Imperatriz-Fonseca, 1986; Bruijn & Sommeijer, 1997; Hilário et al, 2003).The flowering characteristics such as availability, time of occurrence, duration, quality and sugar concentration in nectar are important to external activity of bees (Marques-Souza, 1996; Biesmeijer et al, 1999).Information about external activity of bees is very important because it provides data of the species biology and aspects of their behavior that impact on their potential for crop pollination (Iwama, 1977; Hilário et al, 2000). & Biesmeijer, 2003; Araújo et al, 2004) Environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, light intensity, wind speed, and relative humidity influence the flight activity of stingless bees, its variation throughout the year and the pollination (Kleinert-Giovannini & Imperatriz-Fonseca, 1986; Bruijn & Sommeijer, 1997; Hilário et al, 2003). The flowering characteristics such as availability, time of occurrence, duration, quality and sugar concentration in nectar are important to external activity of bees (Marques-Souza, 1996; Biesmeijer et al, 1999). These features include the amount of bees that enter and leave the hive and the resources collected by them
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