The organization and rhythm in the foraging and swarming of Plebeia remota (Holmberg, 1903) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) / A organização e a ritmicidade no forrageamento e na enxameação de Plebeia remota (Holmberg, 1903) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini)

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

The meliponine are bees that occur in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Earth. In this moment that the global changes attract so much scientific interest, we consider opportune the detailed study of the social organization of Plebeia remota, a bee species that present reproductive diapause in autumn and winter. Although other researches had been made in this species, indicating mainly the effects of abiotic factors on the flight activity, the division of labor among the workers during the foraging had not been studied either in the diapause period or in the queen oviposition period. The absence of brood cells construction during some months in the colony, and the restart of this activity in august, imply profound physiologic alterations in a group of workers and in the queen, increasing the complexity of the division of labor and social organization. We analyzed the workers activities individually in the two periods and considered the individual behavior in the construction of the collective on the foraging activities. One of the approaches was the rhythm of the foragers in these two periods. We also studied the effect of temperature and relative humidity on the foraging pattern. Furthermore, another process of great importance to the reproduction of the colonies was studied, the swarming. Either the biology of the swarms as the rhythm of the construction of brood cells and of the POP in the beginning of the establishment of the colonies was studied. We also discussed the factors that may have been involved in the initial growth of the colonies and their establishment. The foraging and the swarming are processes very important to the growth and the reproduction of the colonies, and their comprehension is important to the development of management techniques and measurements to the promotion of conservation of bees.

ASSUNTO(S)

foraging forrageamento stingless bee swarming abelha sem ferrão plebeia remota plebeia remota diapausa reprodutiva enxameação reproductive diapause

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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