Pollen Pots Research Articles

Aspergillus capibaribensis (Eurotiales, Trichocomaceae), a new species in section Cremei

In this study we describe a new species of Aspergillus in section Cremei deposited in the URM culture collection (Micoteca URM Profa. Maria Auxiliadora Cavalcanti) of the Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil). Another strain was obtained from samples taken from pollen pots inside nests of Melipona scutellaris (stingless bee). Morphological and phylogenetic evidence based on sequencing of ITS rDNA, BenA, CaM and rpb2 markers supported the description of taxonomic novelty. Aspergillus capibaribensis sp. nov. is morphologically similar and phylogenetically close to A. flaschentraegeri - the distinctive features are uniseriate and hyaline conidiophores, short and smooth conidia and smaller vesicles compared to the micromorphological structures of A. flaschentraegeri. This record also expanded the knowledge of species in Aspergillus section Cremei in a tropical country such as Brazil.

A descriptive study of the biometrics of the stingless bee Lepidotrigona flavibasis in northern Thailand

Stingless bees play a crucial role in tropical and subtropical ecosystems, contributing significantly to biodiversity and pollination services. The species Lepidotrigona flavibasis (Cockerell 1929) (Apidae: Meliponini), found in Southeast Asia, has attracted attention for its unique nesting habits and valuable honey production. The objective of this study was to compare colony size and productivity between different nesting cavities. Twelve colonies of L. flavibasis were collected in Chiang Mai province, Thailand, to study biometrical data. Six colonies were housed in hollowed logs, previously occupied by Apis cerana, and six in bamboo cavities. The colony ages ranged from 8 months to 5 years. This study found that log cavity colonies had larger populations and more brood cells than bamboo cavity colonies. Results show that log cavity colonies had an average number of workers (3,842.6 ± 2036), drones (288.2 ± 511), brood cells (5,914.5 ± 3026), honey pots (290.5 ± 210), and pollen pots (96.8 ± 90). The bamboo cavity colonies were found to have an average number of workers (1,628.2 ± 575), drones (64 ± 58), brood cells (2,333.7 ± 1875), honey pots (127.3 ± 95), and pollen pots (94.8 ± 57). Overall, the log cavity colonies demonstrated greater colony size and productivity regarding adult bees and brood.

Three Species of Stingless Bee (Meliponini) Honey from Sudan: A Contribution to the Nest Components, Proximate Composition, and Antimicrobial Properties

There is historical traditional use of stingless bee honey (SBH). However, no information concerning composition and antimicrobial properties of SBHs from Sudan was reported. Thus, the paper was aimed to focus on the components of the nests and honey characteristics of three species of stingless bee. Proximate analysis showed similar composition, except protein and ash were significantly (p > 0.01) different. Meliplebeia beccarii honey contained more protein 5.31% and slightly more ash 1.01% than the other species. Antibacterial activity was determined by cup-plate agar diffusion; Hypotrigona squamuligera and M. beccarii were more active against Staphylococcus aureus. None of the Studied SBHs showed activity against Escherichia coli, Apergillus niger, and Candida albicans. Anti-parasite activity as determined by sub-culture method showed that “almost all” SBHs have similar activities against trophozoites of Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica with statistically significant differences when compared to the untreated control. The amount of honey produced by M. beccarii varied from 100 to 150 ml per nest while honey produced by Hypotrigona ruspolii and H. squamuligera varied from 500 to 1000 ml/colony/year. Results also showed different nest architecture and components (entrance, brood areas, honey pots, and pollen pots) as indication for existence of many taxa of Meliponini in Sudan.

Pollen analysis of honey and pollen stored by Melipona (Melikerria) fasciculata Smith, 1854 (Apidae Meliponini), in an Amazon and Cerrado transition area, Maranhão, Brazil.

The identification of meliponicultural flora is fundamental for the preservation of bees, as well as enabling the development of pollinator management and reforestation programs. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the types of pollen found in the honey and pollen pots of the Melipona fasciculata bee in Arari, State of Maranhão, between August 2022 and July 2023. 40 types of pollen were identified, distributed among 18 botanical families, with Fabaceae standing out (46.15% in pollen pots and 37.86% in honey pots), Myrtaceae (11.53% in pollen and 13.51% in honey) and Rubiaceae (7.69% in pollen and 5.40% in honey). Sapindaceae, in the honey pots, accounted for 5.40%. The other families showed lower percentages, 3.84% in the pollen pots and 2.70% in the honey pots. In terms of similarity, two distinct groups were observed in both the pollen and honey pots. In the pollen pots, group A (May-June ~ 97%) and group B (Feb-Mar ~ 99%) stood out, while in the honey pots, group A (Mar-Apr ~ 98%) and group B (Jun-Jul-Sept ~ 98%) showed the highest percentages. These findings highlight the wide range of resources used by the M. fasciculata species, as well asits preference for Fabaceae and Myrtaceae, due to the diversity and availability of trophic resources. An understanding of the meliponicultural flora is essential to support effective conservation strategies, which aim not only to guarantee the survival of the bees, but also to ensure the continued production of honey, a resource of great importance to local communities.

Morphometrics of Heterotrigona Itama Nest Components in the Pocut Meurah Intan Grand Forest Park, Aceh Besar Regency, Indonesia

This study aims to describe the morphometrics of the nest components of the stingless bee species of the Heterotrigona itama species in the Pocut Meurah Intan Grand Forest Park, Aceh Besar Regency, Indonesia. This research method uses direct observation of five H.itama nest colonies which includes measurements of each nest component, namely baby cells, pollen pots, honey pots and nest entrances. The results of this study reported that the nest components of five H.itama colonies had varying sizes. The entrance to the H. itama nest is tube-shaped with a tube length of 2.50 - 18.00 cm and a diameter of 1.50 - 4.50 cm. The diameters of pollen pots, honey pots and daughter cells are in the range of 0.95 - 1.14 cm, 0.65 - 1.14 cm and 0.30 - 0.34 cm respectively. The height of the pollen pot, honey pot and daughter cells ranges from 1.24 - 1.64 cm, 0.63 - 1.20 cm and 0.44 - 0.50 cm respectively. From the results of this research, it can be concluded that H.itama found in the Pocut Meurah Intan Grand Forest Park, Aceh Besar Regency, Indonesia has varying morphometrics in each colony.

Comparative analysis of the quantity of propolis Tetragonula biroi bees based on propolis type and colony origin

Propolis is one of the products produced by Tetragonula biroi bees which comes from resin collected by honey bees from various plants, which mixes with saliva and various enzymes to produce different new resins and bees collect other than resin to build nests with other materials. ingredients taken directly from nature. The purpose of this study was to determine the percentage of propolis propolis structure, the percentage of propolis waste and residue in nests of T. biroi in South Sulawesi. The data collected was then processed using descriptive methods. The results showed that the average percentage of propolis pillars was 30%, propolis batumen 26%, propolis involucrum 24%, propolis brood cells 6%, propolis pollen pots 4%, and contained in nests in the form of small wooden branches 6%, leaves 2.27 %. The percentage of waste in nests from Bone was 22.43% and a residue percentage of 77.56%, nests from Luwu had an average waste percentage of 19.19% and a percentage of propolis residue 80.8%, then nests from Soppeng had an average waste percentage of 18.92% and a residual percentage propolis 81.06 %.

Nesting structure of stingless bees, Lophotrigona canifrons Smith and Tetragonula iridipennis Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in natural forests of Nagaland, India

The nesting sites of two species of stingless bees were located in Medziphema and Punglwa village which fall under the Dimapur and Peren districts of Nagaland. The nest of Lophotrigona canifrons Smith is subterranean in nature constructed inside cavities below ground and that of Tetragonula iridipennis Smith is arboreal in nature constructed on tree trunks inside cavities. The length and width of the entrance tube of T. irridipennis measured 26mm in length, 22mm in width and the total length of the tube including the accessed tube that connected with the nest measured 70mm. The area of the honey in T. irridipennis was 80x60x50mm, with 112g stored honey and 0.72g individual honey pot. In the case of L. canifrons length of the entrance tube was 20 mm and width 15 mm for the underground nest-1 (UG-1); and for the UG-II, the length and width measured 10mm and 14mm respectively. The honey pots of L. canifrons were dark brown to black in colour just like that of pollen pots. For UG-I, the honey area was 100x65x59mm; with 127g honey and 0.78g single honey pot. Similarly, in UG-II the honey area was 70x62x55mm with 114g honey and 0.80g of a single honey pot.

Investigation of the Best Artificial Propagation Technique for Stingless Bee Heterotrigona itama (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)

Meliponiculture (keeping stingless bees) is a practice that is growing rapidly in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. A limited number of studies regarding the technique would be most accurate in propagating the colonies to increase their numbers. Three different artificial propagation techniques were investigated in Ladang 10, Universiti Putra Malaysia. Three artificial propagation techniques, namely splitting, bridging, and splitting bridging, were conducted for eight consecutive weeks. Honey pot quantity and pollen pot quantity were recorded weekly for eight consecutive weeks. The success of colony division under different artificial propagation techniques and all the parameters taken were observed and recorded weekly. A significant difference (F = 15.04, df = 2, P = <.0001) was detected in the number of pollen pots between the different artificial propagation techniques, but not for the honey pot quantity (F = 0.22, df = 2, P = 0.8054). The bridging technique recorded the lowest pollen pot quantity while there was no significant difference in splitting and splitting-bridging techniques. The result showed that the splitting technique obtained new brood cells and queen of Heterotrigona itama. The splitting-bridging technique developed new brood cells without a new queen, whereas the bridging technique produced only pollen and honey pots. A matured queen’s presence can defeat the artificial propagation technique due to its pheromones function.

Microbial Biodiversity in Honey and Pollen Pots Produced by Tetragonisca angustula (Jataí)

HIGHLIGHTS Eight species of bacteria and three yeasts were identified in T. angustula products. Bacillus was the main bacteria present in pots of stingless bee honey and pollen. S. meliponinorum was the main yeast found in jataí honey, and Z. bailli in jataí pollen. Symbiotic relationship between microorganisms and honey and pollen pots

Coconut shell traps: easiest and economic way to attract stingless bees (Tetragonula iridipennis) Smith

The trap occupancy rate and colony development parameters of swarms of stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis in coconut shell traps was studied in the research farm of ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR) Bengaluru, Yelahanka campus Karnataka, India. The trap occupancy rate by the stingless bees was 44.87% in a time period of 13.40 ± 4.38 days. New cells were constructed by the bees in 12.10 ± 2.13 days. The number of honey and pollen pots filled was 15.60 ± 3.92 and 6.61 ± 2.95, respectively. The brood cells were constructed 89.50 ± 6.07 days after acceptance of the shell traps with an average of 67.70 ± 20.83 brood cells per trap. The foragers preferred foraging for nectar, resin and pollen during the 15, 30 and 45 days after acceptance of the coconut shells for nesting. Coconut shell traps are easiest and economic way of trapping the swarming population of stingless bees.

Analysis of colony development of Trigona sp. in Kawasan Rumah Pangan Lestari (KRPL) Central Lombok

The Kawasan Rumah Pangan Lestari (KRPL) or Sustainable Food House Area integrated with Trigona sp. bee cultivation can be an alternative livelihood to improve the community's economy. This study aims at analyzing the development of bee colonies in KRPL in terms of the number of pollen pots and honey pots produced. The type of this research is descriptive qualitative. The study was conducted from October to November 2020. The samples used were 14 colonies, categorized as strong colonies, medium colonies and weak colonies. The increase in the number of empty pots, honey pots and pollen pots were observed every three days. Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity and light intensity, and the activity of the Trigona bees were also observed. The results showed that the average temperature at KRPL was 29.80 °C, with an average humidity of 69.62% and a light intensity of 22610 lux. Most of the increase in the highest total number of pots occurred in strong colonies. The number of empty pots, honey pots and pollen pots increased on different days. In the last week of the observation, most of the colonies did not increase in the number of pots. Development of Trigona sp. bee colonies in KRPL is considered slow even though the environmental conditions there are normal. Cultivation of Trigona sp. in KRPL should use strong colonies rather than medium and weak colonies.

Nest architecture of stingless bee, Tetragonula gressitti Sakagami from Nagaland, India

Tetragonula gressitti Sakagami is the new species of stingless bee discovered in Nagaland (2020). It was earlier found in Arunachal Pradesh (2013), South West China (2019) and Vietnam in 1978. The nest architecture of this particular species was never studied although there had been regular reports of its presence in forest areas by the local populace and all earlier reports were simply documented on the basis of collected samples from forests. This is the first detailed report on nesting characteristics of the stingless bee, T. gressitti, which were found located in the forest and village areas of Phek district in Nagaland during the early winters of 2019. The natural nests were found in tropical to sub-tropical evergreen forests on tree cavities, commonly at a height of 2.91 m ± 0.21 with a single entrance for each colony. The colonies were naturally active as seen and recorded from the activity of bees at their entrance gates during day time. The nests were extracted carefully with appropriate tools and transported to the experimental site. A total of seven natural nests were located for the study. Out of them, three nests were opened to observe the internal nest structure while the remaining nests were kept intact for further development and pollination studies. The observations revealed that the nest entrance on the external region was free from any wax or cerumen funnel/ tube and was meticulously kept clean by the bees. The nest entrances of all the colonies varied in size and shape. Internally, the entrance was connected to the brood through a waxy passage of 11.42 cm ± 0.73 length till it reached the involucrum. The brood was covered in a partial involucrum of 2.15 cm ± 0.23 thickness. The honey pots and pollen pots were found separated from the brood area and were connected through numerous small openings in the involucrum. The adult bees were observed to be deep black in colour. The required data on size of different cells and castes were also recorded accordingly.

Nest Architecture and Nesting Site Preference of Tetragonula iridipennis Smith in North-Western Plains of India

Abstract Stingless bees constitute an important group of bee diversity providing a vital ecological service i.e. pollination. From India, nine species of stingless bees have been reported out of which Tetragonula iridipennis Smith is widely distributed. Studies revealed that the majority (86.67%) of these bees’ nests were present in brick walls and the remaining (13.33%) were in cavities of hollow tree trunks. Most of the colonies nested at a height of 3.50 m from the ground. Most of the nests (56.67%) had entrances oriented to the east. No distinct entrance tube was observed in 26.92 per cent of the colonies. Overall average entrance tube dimensions (longer side diameter × shorter side diameter × tube length) were 11.62 × 11.73 × 14.04 mm. In all the nests, brood area was surrounded by pollen pots and a few honey pots. The mean dimensions (depth × width) of brood cells, honey pots and pollen pots were 2.79 × 2.62 mm, 5.33 × 4.52 mm and 6.93 × 5.19 mm, respectively. All of the sixty colonies whether in brick/stone walls or in hollow tree trunks overwintered successfully. Our results can be useful for developing conservation measures for T. iridipennis and its augmentation for crop pollination.

Foraging plant and palynological analysis of stingless bee pot-pollen in Pattani, Thailand

This is the first foraging plant and palynological study using pollen stored by Heterotrigona itama (Apidae: Meliponini) in the Saiburi, Pattani, Thailand. The samples were directly collected from the pollen pots of H. itama species in apiaries located in Saiburi district. The samples were dried, weighed, diluted in warm water and ethanol, centrifuged and then processed using the acetolysis method. After mounting the pollen samples on the glass slides, we identified and counted at least 500 pollen grains per sample. The results show that the main pollen combinations in the pollen pots of H. itama include pollen from Wedelia, Acacia, Cocos and Elaeis. Most pollen types came from the families Mimosasae, Graminae and Asteraceae family

Pollen sources used by Frieseomelitta Ihering 1912 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) bees along the course of the Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil

ABSTRACT Insect pollination has influenced the evolution and diversification of angiosperms. Consequently, knowing plants used as food sources by bees, the most important pollinator group, is the first step toward understanding how their ecological relationships works. Pollen source information is also highly relevant for bee management and associated fruit and seed production. Accordingly, to improve understanding of the trophic ecology of these bees and their relationships with native Amazonian plants the current study identified, quantified and compared pollen stored in nests of Frieseomelitta stingless bees along the Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil. A total of 31 pollen pots were sampled and found to contain 65 pollen types distributed across 52 genera and 29 botanical families (predominantly Arecaceae, Araliaceae, Fabaceae and Urticaceae). Euterpe was the commonest pollen type, being present in 32.2 % of the analyzed samples. Although the studied bees were generalists, pollen analysis suggested that different Frieseomelittaspecies may have distinct food preferences. The pollen profile of the studied bees was influenced more by nest location than by species phylogenetic proximity. The current study also provides a list of important plants for native bee management, which could improve beekeeping when grown near managed meliponarine colonies.

Feed supplementation in the diet of Melipona rufiventris

In beekeeping, the knowledge of nutrition must be improved to maximize its genetic potential to enhance productivity, especially in times of food shortages. This study aimed at studying the influence of protein supplements on the development of Melipona rufiventris bee colonies. About 15 colonies of M. rufiventris were used. They were divided into three treatments with five replicates in a 3 × 3 factorial design with three types of supplementation x three periods. The evaluations were performed on the 30th, 60th, and 90th days after the start of the experiment. The colonies were supplemented with cornmeal with soy extract or cornmeal with brewer’s yeast, and without protein supplementation (control). The colonies received 3 g of the supplement every two days, and the leftovers were quantified. To evaluate their development, the following variables were considered: diameter of brood combs (DBC), number of brood combs (NBC), number of pollen pots (NPP), number of honey pots (NHP), and colony weight gain (WGC). Both supplements were accepted and consumed by bees, which allows them to be used for the nutritional supplementation of the species studied. There was an effect in time for the NBC, NPP, and WGC characteristics at 90 days of evaluation. Soybean and barley supplements are presented as efficient alternatives for the diversification of M. rufiventris feed.

Evaluation of the honey and pollen yield of Melipona interrupta bee colonies in the Amazon region

The objective of this research was to evaluate the productivity of honey and pollen of Melipona interrupta (Jandaíra) colonies during a one-year period. This study was conducted in meliponiculture production colonies located in community of Coroca in the City of Santarém, Pará, from October 2016 to December 2017. All collections of meliponiculture material were conducted during the first week of each month. Characteristics such as the total number of food pots, height, diameter, and volume of honey and pollen pots, the mass of the colony, production of pollen and honey, and the productivity of the bee colony as a whole were constantly monitored. Each month, biometric measurements of fifteen colonies of native bees of the specie were conducted and analyzed in the Statistical Analysis System. The greatest honey production by these colonies was strongly correlated with the less-rainy period that occurs in the region, and this production was most pronounced during October through December.

Sebaran dan Karakteristik Sarang Lebag Tak Bersengat Di Kawasan Hutan Kampus Unibversitas Halu Oleo

Abstrak: This study aims to determine the distribution and characteristics of stingless bee nests (Trigona sp) found in the Haluoleo University Campus Forest Area. The outer nest's characteristics are the shape of the entrance to the nest, the nest's distance from the water source, and the nest's height from the ground. The nests' internal characteristics were observed, namely the pollen and honey pots' shape and the pollen and honey pots size. The results showed that around the Haluoleo University campus forest, 11 nests of Trigona sp were located in an open area with high light intensity and not humid. There are two forms of nest entrance, namely oval and circular shapes. The honey and pollen pots are ovoid with an average diameter of 1.01 cm, the average nest distance from the water source is 186.4 m, and the average nest distance from the ground is 3.4 m. Key words: stingless bee, nest characteristic, Halu Oleo University forest, nest distribution

Nesting habitat and comb geometry of stingless bee Tetragonula bengalensis Cameron in west Bengal

A detailed survey was carried out at Purulia and Bankura districts of West Bengal to study the nesting habitat and comb geometry of stingless bee Tetragonula bengalensis Cameron. A total of 55 colonies were found to nest in different habitats, out of which 31 colonies were studied. Among them eleven colonies were found in tree nesting habitat and 20 in wall nesting. A colony nested in wall cavity at Bankura district was found to build their nest in that of swarmed wasp. The tree and wall nested colonies were observed having the mean height of 179.57, 173.25 and 99.71, 79.15 cm in the two respective districts. The mean dimensions of cavity and entrance tube nested in tree cavities of both the districts were 60.57 × 22.29 cm; 4.21 × 2.90 mm, and 35 × 17.75 cm; 3.75 × 3.5 mm; whereas for wall nested colonies it was 21.21 × 30.00 cm, 3.90 × 3.71 mm; and 20.87 × 28.69 cm, 3.98 × 3.60 mm, respectively. The brood cells, honey and pollen pots were brown to dark brown, oval and, arranged in clusters. The mean dimensions of brood cells, pollen and honey pots in tree nested combs were 2.26 × 1.66, 7.42 × 5.18, 7.60 × 4.77 and 2.26 × 2.00, 7.44 × 5.16, 7.80 × 4.99 mm; while for wall nested combs it was 2.28 × 1.57, 7.44 × 4.99, 7.57 × 4.71 and 2.13 × 1.77, 7.30 × 4.85, 7.77 × 4.65 mm in length and width, respectively.

Nest Architecture as a Tool for Species Discrimination of Hypotrigona Species (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)

Hypotrigona species are difficult to identify morphologically. Here, we show that nest sites and nest architecture can be used to discriminate three Hypotrigona species found in Kenya. Hypotrigona gribodoi, H. araujoi and H. ruspolii colonies from Kakamega forest and H. gribodoi from Mwingi, were collected and placed in a meliponiary at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE). The following parameters were recorded: nest sites, internal nest entrances, external nest entrance colour and size, sizes (in terms of volume) of brood cells, honey and pollen pots, arrangement of brood cells and presence or absence of involucrum (cerumen covering brood). It was found that nest sites are specific to species. Hypotrigona gribodoi nests mostly in crevices in mud walls while H. ruspolii and H. araujoi nest in cavities in specific tree species, mainly in indigenous forests. The colour of external nest entrances varies between the species. H. araujoi’s is yellowish brown, H. gribodoi’s is white or cream while that of H. ruspolii is dark brown. There is an internal nest entrance in H. gribodoi, which is absent in the other two Hypotrigona species. Brood cells are clustered in H. gribodoi and H. ruspolii whereas H. araujo's form vertical semi comb-like layers. The area of the apical opening of the entrance tube and volumes of brood cells, honey and pollen pots differ significantly between the three Hypotrigona species. Therefore, nest sites and nest architecture can be used to discriminate three Hypotrigona species. Furthermore, the study indicates that conservation of indigenous forests, the main habitat for H. araujoi and H. ruspolii is important for their conservation.