Influence of climatic variations on the flight activity of the Jandaira bee Melipona subnitida Ducke (Meliponinae)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to obtain information about the influence of climatic variations on the flight activity of Jandaíra bees, M. subnitida Ducke. The research was conducted in 2006 at the stingless-bee apiaries of the Federal Semi-Arid Rural University do (UFERSA), in Mossoró, RN, from March to June (the rainy season) and September to December (the dry season). For the experiment, five colonies of M. subnitida Ducke were used, where every fortnight, from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m, the flow of bees entering and leaving, and the type of material they carried, were noted. The information collected at the entrance of the colonies was correlated with climatic data, temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation and wind speed, collected by an automatic weather station at the time of the evaluations. The joint action of the climatic variations influenced the flight activity of M. subnitida, where the influence of temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation stood out. The wind speed acted only to compensate for the other meteorological factors. The external activities of the Jandaira bee are concentrated in the morning, both in the rainy season from March to June, and in the dry season from September to December. Nectar, water and pollen were collected in greater quantities during the foraging activities of the Jandaira in both periods. Therefore, management of hives in the region, is best carried out in the evening, when the external activities of the bees are coming to an end.