Comportamento de forrageio da abelha sem ferrão de pequeno porte Plebeia aff. flavocincta em flores artificiais

Abstract

Knowing the foraging behavior of stingless bees is essential for the comprehension of the relationship between these pollinators and the plants they visit. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the flight radius and foraging behavior of the bee Plebeia aff. flavocincta, as well as to test attractiveness of different syrup concentrations within different distances. The forage pattern along the day, preference of bees for sugar concentration in nectar and the relationship with distance from the colony were assessed by the means of manipulating those parameters with artificial flowers containing different syrup concentrations and displayed at varying distances. From the colonies, in order to assess the syrup atractiveness, eight sugar concentrations were used (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60% e 70%) and tested within diferent distances (0m, 15m, 30m e 45m). The bees P. aff. flavocincta foraged from 6h to 17h30, with a foraging peak from 9h to 11h30 and showed a preference for higher syrup concentrations (60% and 70%) though have foraged indiscriminately within the tested sugar concentrations and varying distances. We have concluded that due to the small size, this species need higher temperatures when compared to species with greater body sizes in order to fully forage, and they showed preference for more concentrated sugar sources, however not abandoning other existing sources with lower sugar concentrations within their flight radius. Such strategy may explain why a small-sized and flight-limited bee such as P. aff. flavocincta achieve a vast geographic distribution and settle in highly anthropized areas where natural sources of nectar are usually scarce within short distances.