Abstract
Scale insects Stigmacoccus paranaensis (Foldi, 2006) associated with bracatinga trees (Mimosa scabrella) in Santa Catarina, Brazil, can play an important economic role and guarantee the production of “bracatinga honeydew honey”. This scale insect has the ability to excrete large amounts of honeydew, of economic importance for beekeepers, especially due to the natural occurrence of host plants at high density, known as “bracatingais”. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the honeydew produced by scale insects associated with M. scabrella in the Bom Retiro, Santa Catarina, Brazil. We determined the density of the host plant in the studied area, the intensity of infestation by scale insects, and the volume and sugar concentration of excreted honeydew. The average density of bracatinga was 437.5 individuals ha-1, and the average density of scale insects per plant was 8,287. During 10 minutes, the average rate of honeydew excretion by scale insects was 0.45 µl and 0.34 µl, respectively, in 2002 and 2004. The estimated volume of honeydew production was 0.54 L in 2002 and 0.41 L in 2004 tree-1 day-1. The highest sugar concentration was observed in 2004 (28.13%). The excretion rate was affected by climatological factors and the size of the insects. This is the first study presenting a systematic evaluation of honeydew production by scale insects in Southern Brazil. The results of the present study support production of honeydew honey in the Serra Catarinense region as an important sustainable economic and traditional activity.
Highlights
Scale insects are small phytophagous sucking insects of the superfamily Coccoidea (Hemiptera)
In Brazil, scale insects of the genus Stimacoccus are associated with Mimosa scabrella Benth. (Fabaceae), Schizolobium parahyba (Vell. 1825) Blake (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae) and Inga sp. (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) (Bogo et al, 1999; Hodgson et al, 2007; Wolff et al, 2015), suggesting that these scale insects are oligophagous on Fabaceae
Study area - The study was carried in the locality of Caneleira, municipality of Bom Retiro, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil (27°51’33” S and 49°35’24” W, 890 m a.s.l.), whose land falls within the domain of Ombrophilous Mixed Forest (Reitz and Klein, 1966)
Summary
Scale insects are small phytophagous sucking insects of the superfamily Coccoidea (Hemiptera). More than eight thousand scale insect species have been described worldwide (Wolff, 2012; García Morales et al, 2016). Females feed on phloem sap from different plant species, and they are considered as pests when associated with plants of economic interest (Gullan and Kosztarab, 1997; Hodgson and Hardy, 2013). From the digestion of the sap, scale insects excrete a sugary solution, called melato in Portuguese and honeydew in English, serving as an energy source for various trophic levels and ensuring the maintenance of positive ecological interactions (Beggs, 2001). Honeydew-producing insects interact with Abies spp. and Prunus spp. 1825) Blake (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae) and Inga sp. (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) (Bogo et al, 1999; Hodgson et al, 2007; Wolff et al, 2015), suggesting that these scale insects are oligophagous on Fabaceae In Brazil, scale insects of the genus Stimacoccus are associated with Mimosa scabrella Benth. (Fabaceae), Schizolobium parahyba (Vell. 1825) Blake (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae) and Inga sp. (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) (Bogo et al, 1999; Hodgson et al, 2007; Wolff et al, 2015), suggesting that these scale insects are oligophagous on Fabaceae
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