Unfavorable urban climatic conditions affects colony performance of an amazonian stingless bee (Apidae: Meliponini)

Insectes Sociaux, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 19, 2025

Language: Английский

Small Amazonian stingless bees: an opportunity for targeted cocoa pollination

Frontiers in Bee Science, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 2

Published: Aug. 2, 2024

Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao ) is a multi-billion-dollar business. This tropical crop strongly depends on animal pollination for fruit development and seed production. The lack or inefficiency of natural pollinators in cocoa plantations has driven farmers to search alternatives, such as laborious by hand. A so far untested alternative, which received increasing attention during the past couple years, targeted through managed social bees. However, owing smallness flowers T. well structural barriers that impede large insects access stigma, only tiny bees may be viable option pollination. In present study, we asked whether small stingless (Apidae, Meliponini) could come into consideration crop-pollinators, especially shadowy agroforests. Among 188 meliponine species native Brazilian Amazon region, comprises an important portion center origin , selected 52 based morphological criteria (intertegular distance ≤ 1.4 mm; body length: 2.2–6.0 mm). Important production, some these Meliponini have ample geographic distribution, occurring both beyond (centers production Brazil: Pará: 35 spp., Bahia: 10 spp.). Presumably all active at illuminance levels below those found heavily shaded plantations, least times when anthers show full dehiscence maximum receptivity stigma. bees’ potential forage under reduced light regimes corroborated finding between 20 60% naturally exploited food sources are understory vegetation, including herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, lianas. Many build their nests, facultatively, tree cavities, facilitates transfer rational hives and, hence, use colonies directed next steps validating should comprise detailed studies foraging behavior olfactory learning capacities.

Language: Английский

Stingless Bee Foraging Activity Related to Environmental Aspects

Neotropical Entomology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Oct. 1, 2024

Language: Английский