Botanical Preferences of Africanized Bees (Apis mellifera) on the Coast and in the Atlantic Forest of Sergipe, Brazil (original) (raw)
Related papers
Anais da Academia …, 2010
The aim of this study was to investigate the polliniferous floral sources used by Apis mellifera (L.) (africanized) in an apiary situated in Pará de Minas, Minas Gerais state, and evaluate the pollen prefences among the beehives. Two beehives of Langstroth type with frontal pollen trap collectors were used. The harvest was made from September 2007 to March 2008, with three samples of pollen pellets colected per month per beehive. The subsamples of 2 grams each were prepared according to the European standard melissopalynological method. A total of 56 pollen types were observed, identifying 43 genus and 32 families. The families that showed the major richness of pollen types were: Mimosaceae (8), Asteraceae (6), Fabaceae (3), Arecaceae (3), Euphorbiaceae (3), Rubiaceae (3), Caesalpiniaceae (2), Moraceae (2) and Myrtaceae (2). The most frequent pollen types (> 45%) were Mimosa scabrella, Myrcia and Sorocea. The results demonstrated a similarity regarding the preferences of floral sources during the major part of the time. There was a distinct utilization of floral sources among the pollen types of minor frequency. In spite of the strong antropic influence, the region showed a great polliniferous variety, which was an indicative of the potential for monofloral as well as heterofloral pollen production.
The botanical profiles of dried bee pollen loads collected by Apis mellifera (Linnaeus) in Brazil
Sociobiology, 2013
Resende, 2007). Brazilian vegetation is geographically diverse and is divided into five macro-regions. The North region includes the largest tropical rainforest in the country such as a huge drainage area through the Amazon basin. The Northeast re-Abstract A total of 61 dried bee pollen samples collected in four Brazilian macro-regions within 19 municipalities were analyzed aiming to identify the sources used by Apis mellifera (L.) for pollen production and to enable a more accurate product certification. Sample preparation followed the standard methodology, including washing the pollen grains with ethanol, then with water and homogenising the sediment in a water/glycerine solution for microscopic observation. Pollen counts included at least 500 pollen grains per sample. Only six samples, presenting a unique species or pollen type comprising more than 90% of the pollen sum, were considered monofloral, including Ambrosia sp., Cecropia sp., Eucalyptus sp., Fabaceae, Mimosa scabrella (Benth.) spp. and Schinus sp. pollen types. The most frequent pollen types of the heterofloral pollen batches, based on a counting limit of 45%, included Anadenanthera sp., Asteraceae, Brassica sp., Caesalpiniaceae, Cocos nucifera (L.) sp., Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia (Benth.) sp., Mimosa verrucosa (Benth.) sp., and Myrcia sp. pollen types. This result may be related to the great diversity of the Brazilian flora contributing to heterofloral pollen loads and honeys.
Bee Flora and Use of Resources by Africanized Bees
Floresta e Ambiente
Beekeeping is affected by adverse climatic conditions and availability of floral resources. This study aimed to survey and characterize the flora in São João do Piauí, a semi-arid region in Piauí, Brazil, and to identify species providing resources to bees. Flowering plants were observed for 18 months, and records were taken of flowering date, growth habit, visitation and resources collected by bees. Melissopalinological analysis of honey produced in the area was performed. A total of 67 flowering plant species were recorded, of which 49 were considered as bee plants, with a predominance of herbs and shrubs. The low rainfall reduces the number of flowering species, which makes important the conservation and multiplication of species which bloom in dry season, such as Ipomoea glabra, Myracrodruon urundeuva, Sida cordifolia and Ziziphus joazeiro, as well as species that contribute to honey production such as Mimosa tenuiflora, Mesosphaerum suaveolens and Croton sonderianus.
Pollen characterization of the bee flora from a Caatinga area of Northeast Brazil
Botanical Sciences
Background: Plants and bees have coevolved throughout geological time, establishing a mutualistic relationship that results in feeding/resource obtention by bees and the reproductive success of angiosperms. Questions and Hypotheses: What is the floristic composition of the vegetation visited by bees in the Caatinga? How are pollen grains from Caatinga bee plant species characterized? Do pollen grains of bee plant species present characters that could be associated with the pollination process? Studied species: We studied the pollen grains of 45 bee plant species belonging to 41 genera and 23 angiosperm families. Among the studied species, 37 % are endemic to Brazil, and eight species are endemic to the Caatinga biome. Study site and dates: Apiary within the Caatinga biome, in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Climate warm semiarid. Fieldwork was carried out between August 2016 and June 2017. Methods: Plants in bloom and being visited by Apis mellifera were collected during biweekly field ...
Acta Scientiarum. Biological Sciences, 2015
Regional-level studies of floral resources used by social bees for honey production can contribute to the improvement of management strategies for bee pastures and colonies, by identifying the most visited flowers and thus characterizing the various geographical origins of honey. The objective of this study was to investigate, through pollen analysis, the types of pollen and nectar sources used by the uruçu bee (Melipona scutellaris L.) in the North Coast of Bahia. Honey samples were taken monthly from five colonies in an apiary from August 2010 to July 2011. Pollen analysis of honey was performed by using the acetolysis method, followed by qualitative and quantitative analysis of pollen grains. Fifty pollen types belonging to 40 genera and 17 families were identified. The results indicate predominance of pollen types belonging to the families Fabaceae and Myrtaceae, which suggests that the bees preferred foraging from trees and shrubs. These plants should be included in regional reforestation projects in order to improve management of this bee species and honey production.
Pollen analysis of Atlantic forest honey from the Vale do Ribeira Region, state of São Paulo, Brazil
The pollen contents of 34 Apis mellifera honey samples from the Quilombola Community of Porto Velho (Vale do Ribeira, state of São Paulo, Brazil) were studied in order to identify their botanical and geographical origin. A total number of 114 pollen types distributed in 43 families were identified. Fabaceae pollen types were the most diverse (20). Dominant pollen was observed in 27 samples. The dominant type Piper was found in 21 samples and Zanthoxylum, Mikania cordifolia, Cupania oblongifolia, Cecropia, Attalea and Poaceae only in one sample. The quantitative analysis revealed a predominance of very-high pollen concentrations in the samples (Category IV, 35.3%). A second frequency of occurrence analysis revealed 67 pollen types from 26 botanical families from nectariferous species. Fabaceae was also the family with the largest number of nectariferous pollen types (15), followed by Sapindaceae, Asteraceae (six pollen types each), and Euphorbiaceae (five types). Dominant pollen occurred in 19 samples. The main nectariferous sources of pollen in the present study were: Arecaceae (Attalea and Euterpe/Syagrus), Asteraceae (Mikania cordifolia), Fabaceae (Machaerium), Rutaceae (Zanthoxylum), and Sapindaceae (Cupania oblongifolia). The honey was classified as predominantly heterofloral (67.6%). Monofloral honey from Mikania cordifolia, Machaerium, Zanthoxylum, Cupania oblongifolia, Euterpe/Syagrus and Attalea were also identified. The geographical origin demonstrates Apis mellifera using nectariferous sources available from the Atlantic Rainforest in the south and southeast of Brazil, as well as in the brushwood, secondary forest and field plants. This is one of the first works about melissopalynology in the Vale do Ribeira Region.
Bee pollen loads and their use in indicating flowering in the Caatinga region of Brazil
Journal of Arid Environments, 2010
The study presents a map of pollen samples collected by Apis mellifera L. in an area of Caatinga (dryland) vegetation in Canudos, Bahia State, Brazil. A total of 62 bee pollen samples obtained from pollen-traps between March/2004 and February/2006 were examined. The pollen loads were acetolyzed and the pollen types identified and counted by sampling using an optical microscope. Thirty-six plant families were found to contribute to the composition of the pollen spectrum of the samples, with 85 different pollen types. Fabaceae was the most represented family (21 pollen types), and Mimosa filipes was the single most frequently observed pollen type (37 samples). The predominant pollen class included 14 pollen types; the secondary class, 18 types; important minor class, 37 types; minor class, 38 types; and 37 "present" pollen types (<1%). Plant species characteristic of the Caatinga region that have apicultural potential, such as Croton spp., Spondias tuberosa Arruda and Ziziphus joazeiro Mart., were well represented in the pollen spectrum. The pollen map was found to be useful for indicating the flowering periods of certain Caatinga species if long and continuous observations were made.
Botanical affinity of pollen harvested by Apis mellifera L. in a semi-arid area from Bahia, Brazil
Grana, 2009
We analysed the botanical composition of pollen harvested by Apis mellifera L. in the Canudos Biological Station, Bahia, Brazil, and the influence of climatic factors on pollen sample composition was assessed. Forty-six pollen types were identified belonging to species occurring in the study area. The family Leguminosae was of significant importance amongst the samples, represented by ten pollen types. Diodia radula, Rhaphiodon echinus, and Mimosa misera pollen types occurred most constantly among the samples. We observed that isolated pollen class characterises samples analysed. It was also observed that pollen type richness is directly linked to rainfall, reflecting the strong influence of this climatic parameter on flowering intensity, and thus on the ability of the bees to obtain food resources.