Importância das flores do Miguê (Antigonon leptopus) para a manutenção das abelhas nativas

Abstract

The present work aimed to analyze and register the possible floral visitors of Chain of Love vine (Antigonon leptopus) in their flowering period between September to November 2019. The blooms of the species of A. leptopus located in the vicinity of the meliponiculture sector of the Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, UFRPE, for three non-consecutive days from 7 am to 17: 10 pm. Possible visitors and the type of collection made by them were recorded in the first ten minutes of each time in the period observed. It was found that Trigona spinipes and Apis mellifera, were the main bees to make visits to collect nectar and pollen. The melipona Boca de sapo (Partamona helleri), Iraí (Nannotrigona testaceicones), Tubi (Scaptotrigona tubiba) and Uruçu (Melipona scutelaris) respectively, were also observed performing collection activities during the early periods of the day. The climatic condition significantly impacts the foraging activities of bees, sunny or cloudy days with mild temperatures, result in an increase in collection activities. T. spinipes can exhibit dominance, territorial and aggressive behavior with other species, depending on the availability of food. A. leptopus has a good diversity of floral visitors, and its use is indicated for the feeding and foraging of honeybee species.