Pollen types from colonies of Melipona scutellaris Latreille, 1811 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) established in a coffee plantation

Abstract

Melipona scutellaris is a eusocial bee with potential to be used as a crop pollinator. This study aimed to identify pollen types used by Melipona scutellaris through the analysis of pollen loads and honey samples in colonies established in a coffee plantation. We analysed 117 pollen loads and pollen content of 15 honey samples. In the pollen loads, we identified 40 pollen types. Poincianella pyramidalis, Coffea arabica, Commelina villosa, Mimosa tenuiflora, Myrcia, Senna macranthera, Solanum and Syagrus coronata stood out as predominant pollen. We found a negative correlation between the abundances of the pollen types Coffea arabica and Mimosa tenuiflora during coffee flowering. In the honey samples, we recorded 33 pollen types. Eucalyptus and Machaerium occurred in frequencies of between 16 and 45%. Although Melipona scutellaris gathers resources from several plant species, its diet is based on a relatively narrow subset of plants.