STINGLESS BEES AS BIOINDICATORS
PHOTO
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IN BRAZIL
MARIA CPISTINA »FFONSO LORENZON
Bees/or Development Journal 92
Juliana Almeida Braga '; Rodrigo Morais Nunes ?; Maria Cristina Affonso Lorenzon
*
Keywords: Atlantic Forest Reserve, biodiversity, CCD, Mefipona quadrifasciata anthidiodes, meliponicutture, Nannotrigona
testaceicornis, stingless bees, Tetragonisca angustula
Warning
- loss
of bees
Colony collapse disorder refers to the decline in numbers of Apis mellifera honey bee colonies. This decline is occurring in the USA and there are losses in European countries too. There has been speculation concerning the possible causes for this loss of colonies, and one of the hypotheses presented by researchers is environmental contamination. The risks generated for bees by the use of pesticides
the entrance tubes were fragile, and there was little movement from the bees, making them vulnerable to predators.
have been extensively discussed by ecologists and beekeepers, and 5 will be an important topic to be addressed at the Apimondia
The jatafs and jrais colonies were stable for seven months without any honey collection. In the hives of Metipona the flux of food was so low
~-ngress
in
France in September 2009.
The use of agrochemicals is only one of the factors that can lead to death of bees. For wild bees, the loss is also increased by widespread tree felling and the destruction of natural habitats. As forests are cut down and replaced by plantations or urban areas, forest bees become
locally extinct or confined to small areas from which they may eventually disappear.
The Atlantic Forest Reserve - rich in species Brazil's Atlantic Forest Reserve is recognised as one of the planet’s 34 ‘biodiversity hot spots’ with many endemic species, but is in the process of degradation and extinction (Myers et a/, 2000). The State of Rio de Janeiro, in south-east Brazil, hosts approximately 17% of the original forest cover in the form of forest fragments, whose bee fauna and flora are seriously threatened. Ramalho (2003) emphasised that the Forest's stingless bees represent approximately
70% of all the active bees in one area of the Reserve. The high indices of biological diversity and endemism of this biomass, subjected to the Stic reduction, make this ecosystem a priority for biodiversity conservation.
Meliponiculture The keeping of stingless bees was established in fragments of the Atlantic Forest Reserve to promote its expansion as a hotbed for sustainability. Over eight months, meliponaria (apiaries for stingless bees) were installed in four locations of the Reserve, three on the maintand and one on an island, with each location at least 20 km apart. The species of bees were: Tetragonisca angustula (jatais), Nannotrigona testaceicornis (irais) and Melipona quadrifasciata anthidiodes
(mandagaia). One year before research began, colonies of Melipona were fed artificially to build them up. After the hives were installed they were reviewed every 15 days to ensure maintenance and production.
The meliponaria on the island had optimal conditions for rearing the jatais bees and mirins (which are tiny bees, less than 3 mm). The Region confirmed its aptitude for the production of honey and swarms. In the inland locations, the colonies of mandacaia, jata/s and irais did not show satisfactory production, when compared to the island ones:
Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest Reserve
that it did not permit maintenance and the honey and wax pots were
consumed. The apparent fragility of Me/ipona was a surprise to the researchers who considered the region good for production of this bee species. After three months of endeavour with artificial feeding, the colonies of Melipona stayed weak and finally they were transferred to another
location 50 km away in a region that was more open and with less flora than the Atlantic Forest Reserve. Here the colonies of Me/ipona (see
images overleaf) were kept with artificial feeding and the population grew. This suggests the existence of negative factors in the location in the Reserve.
Significance of this failure Melipona are well adapted to the Atlantic Forest Reserve, yet their failure in an area that was apparently favourable in terms of flora, confirms the presence of negative factors such as forest fragmentation. In this Region agricultural practices are not well understood and the loss of colonies may be due to the use of pesticides. Melipona quadrifasciata anthidiodes (Mandacaia bee)
