Atividade de voo da abelha jataí (Tetragonisca angustula) durante o ano, no Setor de Meliponiciltura da UFRPE no Recife, PE

Abstract

Flight activity of stingless bees Tetragonisca angustula in the year. The objective of this experiment was to study the foraging behavior of Stingless bees Tetragonisca angustula throughout the year. The collections of material were made in the experimental area of Meliponicultura Sector, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, in Recife, PE. Once a month, for twelve months, an assessment was made of the flight activity of stingless bees, by recording the number of bees entering the nest carrying pollen and nectar, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 10 minutes each time. Significant differences between samples of twelve months (one year) of collection, both for collecting nectar/water as for pollen. To collect nectar, the month that stood out was March 2019, summer (bordering the fall), and least stood out was in July 2018 (winter). The collections most abundant nectar temperatures were between 25.0 and 35.3°C, and relative humidity were between 27.1 and 64.9%. For pollen, ideal temperatures were between 23.7 and 34.4°C. Stingless bee T. angustula was very sensitive to temperature and the onset of external 10 activity to collect nectar occurred with a minimum temperature of 17.8 ° C, and, to pollen, the temperature was even higher, 19.6°C. The relative humidity was not a limiting factor for the foraging behavior of the species. This bee, on average, collected for nectar/water 86.3% and 13.7% by pollen.