Stingless Bee Foraging Activity Related to Environmental Aspects.

The environment where bee colonies are inserted must provide the necessary resources for their survival. Given this, any biotic and abiotic changes in the environment can affect the development and survival of the colonies. We evaluated the foraging activity of Plebeia droryana (Friese), Scaptotrigona bipunctata (Lepetelier), and Melipona quadrifasciata (Lepetelier) in areas with different land uses and land cover.

First Records of Heartbeats via ECG in a Stingless Bee, (Apidae, Meliponini), during Contention Stress Using Isoflurane as an Anesthetic.

The hemodynamic activity of workers was evaluated during restraint stress for a period of 30 min. The observed parameters were power variation in the elapsed time, and subsequently, six periods of one second were divided and called A, B, C, D, E and F; in each period, the electrocardiographic parameters were evaluated: spike frequency, amplitude, spike intervals and spike duration. The experiment was carried out with eight worker bees of , for which electrodes of a nickel-chromium alloy were made.

Queens remate despite traumatic mating in stingless bees.

Males can control female reproduction using genital plugs to impede access by rivals. In social bees, ants, and wasps, plugging may involve traumatic mating, with females being harmed. In stingless bees, chances are that plugs may promote ovarian activan, and are thought to ensure single mating-a general tendency among the social Hymenoptera.

Insights into the role of age and social interactions on the sexual attractiveness of queens in an eusocial bee, Melipona flavolineata (Apidae, Meliponini).

The attraction of sexual partners is a vital necessity among insects, and it involves conflict of interests and complex communication systems among male and female. In this study, we investigated the developing of sexual attractiveness in virgin queens (i.e.