Recursos usados por abelhas do gênero Xylocopa (hymenoptera, apidae) e seu manejo em cultivo agrícola

Abstract

Farming and management of Xylocopa bees using trap-nests is a promising and sustainable activity. Besides economically important, for generating income and increasing pollination in several crops, the use of trap-nests has also been used to maintain bee populations in natural environments; such practice has favored pollination of native plant species. In this study, the main objectives were: i) to determine the plant species used by Xylocopa bees in the construction of nests; ii) to evaluate the occupancy rate of trap-nests by Xylocopa species in an experimental Xylocopário; iii) to introduce nests of Xylocopa bees in passion fruit crops and; iv) to assess the trophic niche breadth and overlap of Xylocopa frontalis and Xylocopa cearensis in an urban area with a view to their management in cultivated areas. Trap-nests made of bamboo and Enterolobium contortisiliquum and Ficus adhatodifolia were the most occupied by X. frontalis and nests made of Combretum leprosum, by X. cearensis. The introduction of nests occupied by X. frontalis (n=9) and X. cearensis (n=9) in passion fruit crops increased pollination by 68.7%. Herein, X. frontalis showed a greater ability to pollinate passion flowers, mainly because its body size is more compatible with the height of androgynophore compared to X. cearensis. Thus, it is recommended to keep a Xylocopário in the vicinity of passion fruit crops with trap-nests made of bamboo, E. contortisiliquum and Ficus adhatodifolia, which were attractive to X. frontalis, the main pollinator of passion flowers. Analysis of the diet of adult bees demonstrated that X. frontalis and X. cearensis visited 26 and 25 plant species, respectively, which were distributed into 20 genera and 9 families. Four species of plants, Senna siamea, Senna splendida, Solanum paniculatum and Senna macranthera, were the most important in the diet of these bees, and it is recommended the management of these plants to maintain the populations of these bees in the surroundings of passion fruit crops in the semiarid region.