scholarly journals Botanical Preferences of Africanized Bees (Apis mellifera) on the Coast and in the Atlantic Forest of Sergipe, Brazil

Sociobiology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Cesar Melo Poderoso ◽  
Maria Emilene Correia de Oliveira ◽  
Tácito Moreira da Silva e Souza ◽  
Luan Carlos da Paz ◽  
Genésio Tâmara Ribeiro

Pollen analysis in honey can be used as an alternative method to researchinto flowers visited by bees in an area. This study aimed to indentify the mainfloral families in honey from apiaries in the Atlantic Forest and Sergipe statecoast. Honey samples from these apiaries were studied, as well as plants thatgrow around them, which can be used as a source of foraging for bees. Thepalynological technique was used to compare the pollen content of honeysamples with the pollen grains from leaves of plants found in the vicinityof the apiaries to assess whether they had been visited by bees. The resultsof studies in both sites were similar in terms of incompatibility of familiesfound in the apiary vicinity and honey. Thus, it was possible to observe thatin honey samples from the coast and in the remaining Atlantic forest, thenumber of families was greater than the number of families found in theapiary vicinity, which highlights the diversity of plants visited by bees and apossible expansion of the visited area for food search. This diversity suggestsan adaptive foraging behavior to plant resources available in the environment,which may facilitate the pollination of these botanical families andconsequently improve their genetic quality.

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (30) ◽  
pp. 417
Author(s):  
Tchabi F. Lopez ◽  
Tossou G. Monique ◽  
Zanou R. Adéline ◽  
Akoegninou Akpov ◽  
Akpagana Koffi

The Characterization of pollen content of Abomey-Calavi was studied from April 2015 to April 2017, whether two years. A floristic inventory of the species in 7 of the 12 districts of the municipality as well as a collection of pollen grains using the sensor of Hirst were carried out. In total, 104 species in bloom were inventoried each year. Pollen analysis yielded an average of 180 and 182 grains of pollen per cubic meter of air per day from April 2015 to April 2016 and April 2016 to April 2017. They belong to 29 families, 41 genera and 38 species. Among the species inventoried, 47.11% was found in the samples analyzed. The dominant taxa for the two years of study are: Acacia auriculiformis, Poaceae, Combretum indicum and Elaeis guineensis. The daily pollen index of these taxa shows that they are in bloom throughout the year and their main pollination period differs according to the seasons of the year. The correlation is positive between pollen grains and meteorological parameters such as maximum temperature and wind speed but negative between pollen grains, minimum temperature and rainfal.


2000 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-314
Author(s):  
W. P. OLIVEIRA-JR ◽  
M. A. M. BRANDEBURGO ◽  
M. T. MARCOLINO

The introduction of the African bees (Apis mellifera scutelata) in Brazil and their expansion in the American Continent created the opportunity to study the process of species adaptation in a new environment. In that process, within intra-specific variability, normalising selection can favour individuals that present a better adaptative morphology and they will constitute the most frequent type found in the population. To test that hypothesis morphometric analyses in samples of colonies of africanized bees and in samples of the populations were performed. The development of the colonies was also evaluated in terms of the amount of their brood, honey and pollen. Analysis of the data indicates that more developed colonies are formed by individuals closer to the population average with concerning morphological traits.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
A. M. V. Santos ◽  
A. S. Nascimento ◽  
J. S. Santos ◽  
S. M. P. C. Silva ◽  
C. I. S. Lucas ◽  
...  

Knowledge of the flora that bees visit is important for characterization of their products and conservation of flora and fauna. Thus, this study identified the flora used by Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) during the honey production period through the pollen spectrum. Honey samples were collected at apiaries in the municipality of Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil. International methods for samples preparation were used. ETOH was use for honey dilution and subsequently subjected to acidic treatment by the standard method of acetolysis. The pollen content resulting from the analysis was examined under an optical microscope, with separation and counting of pollen grains. Pollen types were identified by consultation and comparison to reference pollen collections and specialized literature. Twenty-seven pollen types distributed among 19 botanical families were identified in the sample set, and Fabaceae, Rubiaceae, Asteraceae and Sapindaceae were the families with a greater number of pollen types. The most frequent pollen types were Mimosa tenuiflora, Vernonia condensata, Bidens, Hyptis, Amaranthus spinosus, Schefflera morototoni and Serjania pernambucensis, all with relative frequency in samples equal to or greater than 70%. The honey evaluated showed a diverse pollen spectrum, evidencing multifloral characteristic.


Bee World ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 58-68
Author(s):  
Mendelson Lima ◽  
Ricardo de Oliveira Orsi ◽  
Gerlane de Medeiros Costa ◽  
Osmar Malaspina

Author(s):  
Sigrún Dögg Eddudóttir ◽  
Eva Svensson ◽  
Stefan Nilsson ◽  
Anneli Ekblom ◽  
Karl-Johan Lindholm ◽  
...  

AbstractShielings are the historically known form of transhumance in Scandinavia, where livestock were moved from the farmstead to sites in the outlands for summer grazing. Pollen analysis has provided a valuable insight into the history of shielings. This paper presents a vegetation reconstruction and archaeological survey from the shieling Kårebolssätern in northern Värmland, western Sweden, a renovated shieling that is still operating today. The first evidence of human activities in the area near Kårebolssätern are Hordeum- and Cannabis-type pollen grains occurring from ca. 100 bc. Further signs of human impact are charcoal and sporadic occurrences of apophyte pollen from ca. ad 250 and pollen indicating opening of the canopy ca. ad 570, probably a result of modification of the forest for grazing. A decrease in land use is seen between ad 1000 and 1250, possibly in response to a shift in emphasis towards large scale commodity production in the outlands. Emphasis on bloomery iron production and pitfall hunting may have caused a shift from agrarian shieling activity. The clearest changes in the pollen assemblage indicating grazing and cultivation occur from the mid-thirteenth century, coinciding with wetter climate at the beginning of the Little Ice Age. The earliest occurrences of anthropochores in the record predate those of other shieling sites in Sweden. The pollen analysis reveals evidence of land use that predates the results of the archaeological survey. The study highlights how pollen analysis can reveal vegetation changes where early archaeological remains are obscure.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-487
Author(s):  
Rameshwor Pudasaini ◽  
Resham Bahadur Thapa

An experiment was conducted to determine the foraging behavior of Apis mellifera L. and Apis cerana F. in rapeseed under cage condition in Chitwan, Nepal during 2012-2013. This experiment showed that Apis cerana F. foraged extra 42 minute per day as compared to Apis mellifera L. Apis cerana F. were more attracted to nectar, whereas Apis mellifera L. were more attracted to pollen collection throughout the day. The activities, in into hives and out from hives, for both species were recorded more at 2:00 pm and least at 8:00 am. The highest in-out were observed at 2:00 pm on both species as Apis mellifera L. 44.33 bees entered into hives and 49.66 bees went out of hives, whereas lower number of Apis cerana F. 43.66 bees entered into hives and 48.16 bees were out of hives. Apis mellifera L. collect 1.22:1 and 0.41:1 pollen nectar ratio at 10:00 am and 4:00 am whereas at same hours Apis cerana collect 1.16:1 and 0.30:1 pollen nectar ratio. Apis cerana F. foraged significantly higher number of rapeseed flowers and plants as compared to Apis mellifera L. under caged condition. It shows that Apis cerana F. was more efficient pollinator as compared to Apis mellifera L. under caged condition. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11238Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 483-487  


1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 1571-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark L. Winston ◽  
Susan J. Katz

Longevities of two races of honey bee workers, European and Africanized, were compared both within colonies of their own races and within colonies of the other race. Differences in longevity were found which were likely due to inherited differences between workers of the two races. The age at which workers began foraging was one factor important in determining longevity. These results may provide a partial explanation for the success and impact of Africanized bees in South America, and also suggest that the northerly spread of these bees could be limited by worker life spans.


1999 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldo Moretto ◽  
Leonidas João de Mello Jr.

Different levels of infestation with the mite Varroa jacobsoni have been observed in the various Apis mellifera races. In general, bees of European races are more susceptible to the mite than African honey bees and their hybrids. In Brazil honey bee colonies are not treated against the mite, though apparently both climate and bee race influence the mite infestation. Six mixed colonies were made with Italian and Africanized honey bees. The percentage infestation by this parasite was found to be significantly lower in adult Africanized (1.69 ± 0.44) than Italian bees (2.79 ± 0.65). This ratio was similar to that found in Mexico, even though the Africanized bees tested there had not been in contact with varroa, compared to more than 20 years of the coexistence in Brazil. However, mean mite infestation in Brazil on both kinds of bees was only about a third of that found in Mexico.


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