Food Pots Research Articles

A preliminary study on the development of colonies ofMelipona beecheiiin traditional and rational hives

SUMMARYSeventeen colonies of Melipona beecheii were collected from different parts of Yucatán, Mexico, and housed in rational (box) hives or in traditional log hives. Two designs of rational hive were used: the Nogueira-Neto hive (P) and the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas de Amazonia hive (I). The internal volumes of the P, I and log hives were 14.30, 14.52 and 10.06 litres, respectively. Food stores in the original nests were not transferred to the hives and the colonies were fed on sugar syrup and supplied with cerumen. Brood volumes and numbers of food pots were determined every 15 days for 3 months following the colony transfers. The amount of brood which developed in the log hives (mean 848.21 cm3) was significantly greater than in P (mean 543.64 cm3) and I (mean 413.84 cm3) hives, but there were no significant differences between domiciles in the number of food pots built, indicating that colonies need to build up food stores before producing brood. It is suggested that the volumes of the P and I hives should be reduced by at least one-third, to allow better control of temperature and environment by the bees.

Systematics and bionomics of the apoid obligate necrophages: the Trigona hypogea group (Hymenoptera: Apidae; Meliponinae)

A systematic revision and biological account is given of the only apoid obligate necrophages, the Trigona hypogea group, along with descriptions of Trigona necrophaga sp. nov. and the male of Trigona crassipes. Trigona necrophaga is endemic to eastern Panama and possibly the Choco; T. hypogea and T. crassipes are sympatric throughout the Amazon Basin and the Guianas. The lack of a corbicula on the hind leg and reduction of giant setae on the labial palpi, workers foraging upon carrion, lack of stored pollen in nests, and complete absence of pollen grains in larval provisions demonstrate obligate necrophagy in all three social, stingless bee species. Evolution of T. hypogea and T. crassipes from a common ancestor in the Amazon Basin is postulated, and T. necrophaga is likely to be an offshoot of T. crassipes. Morphology links T. crassipes and T. hypogea, but nest architecture joins necrophaga and crassipes. Facultative necrophagy in Trigona probably became obligate due to preadaptations including (1) massive forager recruitment via pheromone trails; (2) aggressive foraging on carrion exudates; (3) apical mandibular teeth; (4) rapid location of novel resources; (5) beneficial microbes in bee glandular secretions that metabolize protein and produce antibiotics, and (6) queen cells and food storage pots of the same size and close proximity. Accidental placement of regurgitated, partly-digested carrion in queen cells may have promoted admixture of hypopharyngeal glandular secretions and microbes with harvested liquid carrion. The most derived species, T. necrophaga, may have additional mutualist microbes because only this species has distinctive grey-green protein, and five Bacillus species in food pots and brood cells. No unusual anatomical features were found in worker bees. All three species make sweet, clear honey that contains some pollen but is of unknown origin.

The Social Food-Flow Within the Colony of a Stingless Bee, Melipona Favosa (F.)

Trophallaxis in workers of stingless bees was studied in colonies of Melipo favosa with marked individuals. In the brood area of the nest all trophallactic interactions are initiated by the soliciting bee, whereas spontaneous offerings occur particularly near the nest exit. The trophallactic network within the colony does not represent an open system that leads to even distribution. The cell-provisioning bees obtain food, mainly from other bees. Since cell-provisioning is strongly age-dependent, the trophallactic benefit changes strongly according to the age of the bees. The bees that discharge on a particular day are not involved in the pollen uptake from food pots on that day. The dischargers probably obtain trophallactically a liquid food suspension with a high pollen content, which they subsequently regurgitate into the brood cells. The dischargers also perform active food solicitations with other bees immediately after they have discharged during the progress of the provisioning of a cell. For this they often depart quickly from the cell that is being filled. We assume that their withdrawal from the cell vicinity enhances their chances to meet quickly bees that are less reluctant than the other dischargers nearby to donate food to them. This behavior sometimes enables dischargers to perform subsequent regurgitations in the same cell.