CHARACTERIZATION OF NEST STRUCTURE AND FORAGING ACTIVITY OF STINGLESS BEE, GENIOTRIGONA THORACICA (HYMENOPETRA: APIDAE; MELIPONINI)

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (33) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Farisya Mohd Saufi ◽  
Kumara Thevan
Keyword(s):  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Peak Time ◽  
Nest Architecture ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Nest Structure ◽  
One Year ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Worker Bee

Meliponiculture is the activity of stingless bee keeping, where the colony of stingless bees extracted from wild for the purpose of domestication. The study of stingless bee nest architecture of selected species brings benefit to this newly booming industry. Geniotrigona thoracica, is one of the largest stingless bee in Malaysia and has potential used in meliponiculture. The objectives of this study are to determine nest structure and growth, foraging activity and morphometry of worker bee. Colonies (n=3) of G. thoracica were used to study the nest structure and growth, foraging activity and morphometry of worker bee. Sampling was done for a period of one year from July 2013 until June 2014 for nest growth and foraging frequency. For morphometry study, worker bees were sampled from each nest Result showed external nest structure formed in brown mount shape and the internal nest formed by three components, horizontal brood combs that surround with honey pots and pollen pots. The nest dynamics of G. thoracica changes according to the season. The peak time foraging frequency of G. thoracica was in between 1000 hrs until 1200 hrs.  From morphometry study of worker bee, result for flight cost and aggressive cost were 8.48 ± 0.440 and 0.06 ± 0.004 respectively.

scholarly journals Estimating colonies of Plebeia droryana (Friese, 1900) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): adults, brood and nest structure

Sociobiology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yara Sbrolin Roldão-Sbordoni ◽  
Fábio Santos Nascimento ◽  
Sidnei Mateus
Keyword(s):  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Nest Architecture ◽  
Nest Structure ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Native Flora ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Brood Nest

Estimate of stingless bee colonies including nest structures and quantitative brood and adult individuals are scarce. Here, we describe a new approach to estimate colonial parameters from nest structure, adults and brood. We used five colonies of Plebeia droryana (Friese, 1900) to evaluate colony size and weight of adult and brood. Nest architecture in P. droryana is similar to the species of the same genus but differ to the other stingless bees. In this species, we counted a total of 9 to 12 brood combs and a total of 19 to 25 food pots in the nests. The number of individuals in the colonies is considered small and our estimate was based on individual and group weight. Our study approach may contribute to further detailed studies of the species nest and considering the stingless bees to the pollination of agricultural crops and native flora of tropical regions, it is important to add information about the biology of P. droryana.

scholarly journals Nest architecture of the stingless bee Geotrigona subterranea (Friese,1901) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Mendes Barbosa ◽  
Rogério Marcos de Oliveira Alves ◽  
Bruno de Almeida Souza ◽  
Carlos Alfredo Lopes de Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Nest Architecture ◽  
Congeneric Species ◽  
Nest Structure ◽  
Transition Area

We located ten nests of Geotrigona subterranea in the transition area between Cerrado and Caatinga within the municipalities of Lontra and Januária, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. We collected the nests to study their architecture in detail. In the present paper, we describe the general nest structure of this bee species in terms of: number, shape and area of the combs; size of the brood cells; size of honey and pollen pots; volume of honey and mass of pollen stored in closed pots; presence of inquiline species; and defensive characteristics. All nests were found in subterranean cavities. The nest structure of G. subterranea is similar to that of other congeneric species.

scholarly journals Hermetia illucens and Hermetia fenestrata (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Colonization of “Spoiled” Stingless Bee Geniotrigona thoracica (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Hives in Malaysia

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 737
Author(s):  
Tania Ivorra ◽  
Martin Hauser ◽  
Van Lun Low ◽  
Jeffery K. Tomberlin ◽  
Natasha Azmi Nur Aliah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Adult Stage ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Hermetia Illucens ◽  
Agricultural Industry ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
Bee Colonies

Meliponiculture, the keeping of domesticated stingless bees such as Geniotrigona thoracica (Smith, 1857) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), is an increasingly popular agricultural industry in Malaysia. This study reports the soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) species of the genus Hermetia colonizing stingless bee colonies in Malaysia. The larvae were reared in the laboratory to the adult stage and identified through molecular and morphological approaches. Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus, 1758) and Hermetia fenestrata de Meijere, 1904 (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) were identified from the sample provided. Earlier records of stratiomyids in stingless bee nests were misidentified as H. illucens. This paper represents the first identified record of H. fenestrata colonizing a “spoiled” stingless bee colony. In addition, adult and larval morphological differences between both species and the roles of both species in bee nest decomposition are discussed.

scholarly journals Catalog of the Indo-Malayan/Australasian stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1935 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
CLAUS RASMUSSEN
Keyword(s):  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Australasian Region ◽  
Valid Information

This catalog of the published literature on stingless bees from the Indo-Malayan/Australasian region was compiled from 520 references and deals with 129 proposed names for species-group taxa of which 89 are considered currently valid. Information is summarized on organisms associated with stingless bee colonies as well as the 225 plants from which the bees have been reported to forage. Lectotypes are designated for Trigona ornata described by Rayment and the following species described by Friese: Trigona anamitica, T. australis, T. borneënsis, T. flaviventris, T. keyensis, T. luteiventris, T. pygmaea, T. reepeni, T. sericea, and T. versicolor.

scholarly journals Foraging Activity inPlebeia remota, a Stingless Bees Species, Is Influenced by the Reproductive State of a Colony

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Nunes-Silva ◽  
Sergio Dias Hilário ◽  
Pérsio de Souza Santos Filho ◽  
Vera Lucia Imperatriz-Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Reproductive Diapause ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Reproductive State ◽  
Reproductive Phase ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Autumn And Winter

Colonies of the Brazilian stingless beePlebeia remotashow a reproductive diapause in autumn and winter. Therefore, they present two distinct reproductive states, during which colony needs are putatively different. Consequently, foraging should be adapted to the different needs. We recorded the foraging activity of two colonies for 30 days in both phases. Indeed, it presented different patterns during the two phases. In the reproductive diapause, the resource predominantly collected by the foragers was nectar. The majority of the bees were nectar foragers, and the peak of collecting activity occurred around noon. Instead, in the reproductive phase, the predominantly collected resource was pollen, and the peak of activity occurred around 10:00 am. Although the majority of the foragers were not specialized in this phase, there were a larger number of pollen foragers compared to the phase of reproductive diapause. The temperature and relative humidity also influenced the foraging activity.

scholarly journals Occurrence and Phylogenetic Analysis of DWV in Stingless Bee (Apidae sp.) in China: A Case Report

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Zhang ◽  
Yanchun Deng ◽  
Hongxia Zhao ◽  
Ming Zhang ◽  
Chunsheng Hou
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Bee Viruses

Honey bees play a vital role in providing pollination services for agricultural crops and wild flowering plants. However, the spillover risk of their pathogens to other pollinators or wild insects is becoming a cause for concern. There is some evidence that stingless bees can carry honey bee viruses, but little is known about the presence of honey bee viruses in stingless bees in China. Here, we investigate the occurrence of major honey bee pathogens including bacteria, fungi, and viruses in stingless bees (Apidae: sp.). Our results show that the stingless bees (Apidae: sp.) were mainly infected with DWV-A, but no DWV-B and DWV-C. Phylogenetic analysis on fragments of lp, RdRp, and VP3 of DWV-A indicated that genetic variation in VP3 might an important indicator for host-specific viruses, but it requires further study. Our results indicated that DWV-A is not only the major strain of virus currently circulating in managed bee colonies in China and globally, but in stingless bee species as a whole.

scholarly journals Indigenous knowledge of ground-nesting stingless bees in southwestern Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amenay Assefa Kidane ◽  
Fisseha Mengstie Tegegne ◽  
Ayco Jerome Michel Tack
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Southwestern Ethiopia ◽  
Ground Nesting ◽  
Worker Bee

AbstractWhile Ethiopia has six species of stingless bees, indigenous knowledge of them has not been well documented. In southwestern Ethiopia, we documented the Sheka community’s knowledge of stingless bees. We used the snowball sampling technique to locate 60 experienced honey collectors, conducted semi-structured interviews, and complemented interviews with field observations during honey collection trips with interviewees. Given the scarcity of aboveground nesting stingless bees, honey collectors only collected honey from stingless bees nesting belowground. The average age of the honey collectors was 43 years, but there was much variation in both age and the number of years of experience, indicating that the tradition is handed down between generations. To find the underground nests in the field, honey collectors used several methods, including directly observing nest entrances and worker bee movement, attaching a thread to the worker bee, and listening for the humming sound of the bee’s natural enemy (wasp). Wild nests were always harvested destructively. A single farmer kept ground-nesting stingless bee colonies at his backyard using uniquely tailored wooden hives. Collected honey was used for home consumption, disease treatment, and the generation of income. Our findings illustrate the Sheka community’s deep indigenous knowledge of ground-nesting stingless bees. To facilitate the establishment of stingless bee beekeeping (meliponiculture) in the study area, we may build upon this indigenous knowledge by field research on the biology of stingless bees, taxonomic studies to assess the diversity and identity of ground-nesting stingless bees, and engineering studies to develop beekeeping practices. Together, this may allow for better income for local farmers and avoid the risk of overexploitation of wild stingless bee nests.

scholarly journals Indigenous knowledge on ground-nesting stingless bees in southwestern Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amenay Assefa Kidane ◽  
Fisseha Mengstie Tegegne ◽  
Ayco Tack
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Stingless Bee ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Southwestern Ethiopia ◽  
Ground Nesting ◽  
Worker Bee

While Ethiopia has several species of stingless bees, indigenous knowledge on them has not been well documented. Here, we document the indigenous knowledge of the Sheka community in southwestern Ethiopia on stingless bees. We used the snowball sampling technique to locate 60 experienced honey collectors, conducted semi-structured interviews, and complemented interviews with field observations during honey collection trips with interviewees. Honey collectors did not collect honey from aboveground nesting stingless bees, but only from stingless bees nesting belowground. To find the underground nests in the field, honey collectors used several methods, including direct observation of nest entrances and worker bee movement, attaching a thread to the worker bee, and listening for the humming sound of the bee’s natural enemy (wasp). Nests were harvested destructively. Interestingly, a single farmer kept ground-nesting stingless bee colonies at his backyard using uniquely tailored squared box hives. Collected honey is used for home consumption, disease treatment, and the generation of income. Our findings illustrate the deep indigenous knowledge of the Sheka community on wild ground-nesting stingless bees. To facilitate the establishment of stingless bee beekeeping (meliponiculture) in the study area, we may build upon this indigenous knowledge by field research on the biology of stingless bees, taxonomic studies to assess the diversity and identity of ground-nesting stingless bees, and engineering studies to develop beekeeping practices. Together, this may allow for better income for local farmers and avoid the risk of overexploitation of wild stingless bee nests.

scholarly journals A novel electronic gate that identifies and counts bees based on their RGB backscattered light

2019 ◽  
Vol 292 ◽  
pp. 01005
Author(s):  
Ilyas Potamitis ◽  
Iraklis Rigakis ◽  
Nicolaos-Alexandros Tatlas ◽  
Spyros Kouzoupis
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Light Intensity ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Color Sensor ◽  
Color Features ◽  
Color Characterization ◽  
Worker Bee

In this work, we present an electronic gate that aims to extract a deeper representational signal of the color characterization of the main body of an insect, namely: a) we record the backscattered light and not the extinction light as commonly done, b) a color sensor analyses backscattered light to individual RGB channels independently to grasp the melanization, microstructural and color features of the wing and body of the insects passing the gate. We present all the necessary details to reproduce the device and we analyze many insects of interest like the bee Apis mellifera and the wasp Polistes gallicus. The electronic gate is attached to the entrance of the beehive and counts foraging activity. The backscattered light intensity can quantify the size of the incoming insect and discern a drone and a worker bee from a queen bee while the color measurements aim to recognize invasive species so that the gate closes and the beekeepers are alerted.

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