THE INFLUENCE OF TIME AND ABIOTIC FACTORS ON THE NEST ENTRY AND EXIT BEHAVIOR OF THE STINGLESS BEE, Tetrigona apicalis (SMITH, 1857) (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE)
Abstract
Stingless bees are important pollinator species in tropical and subtropical regions. This study studied the influence of time and abiotic factors on the nest entry and exit behavior of the stingless bee Tetrigona apicalis. Time and abiotic factors studied include the time of day, temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, and wind speed. This study was conducted at the Meliponini collection center at the Malaysian Genome Institute, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. The number of T. apicalis forager bees entering and exiting the nest was calculated through direct observation for 5 minutes every hour from 09:00 to 17:00 from May to October 2019. The results of the study showed that the time (f=3.965, P=0.002, P<0.05) significantly influenced the frequency of entry and exit of T. apicalis stingless bees from the nest. For the abiotic factors, relative humidity significantly influences the behavior of entering (f=16.664, P=0.001, P<0.05) and exiting (f=7.939, P=0.006, P<0.05) of T. apicalis from the nest. The multiple regression test showed that there was a low but significant interaction between all the abiotic factors on the exit and entry behavior of T. apicalis (r2 = 0.13, f=3.10, P=0.02, P<0.05). This study can be used to educate beekeepers to ensure better management and maintain the sustainable pollination services of the stingless bee throughout the year.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Aleixo, K.P., Menezes, C., Imperatriz, F., Vera, L. & da Silva, C.I. 2017. Seasonal availability of floral resources and ambient temperature shape stingless bee foraging behavior (Scaptotrigona aff. depilis). Apidologie 48 (1): 117-127.
Bharath, M.P., Chinniah, C., Jayaraj, J., Suresh, K., Balamohan, T.N. & Vellaikumar, S. 2020. Foraging activity of stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae) during summer season in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 9(1): 1144-1148.
Biesmeijer, J.C. 1997. The organization of foraging in stingless bees of genus Melipona: An individual-oriented approach. Ph.D. thesis, Universität Utrecht, Utrecht.
Bruijn, L.L.M. & Sommeijer, M.J. 1997. Colony foraging in different species of stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponinae) and the regulation of individual nectar foraging. Insectes Sociaux 44 (1): 35-47.
Bruijn, L.L.M., Sommeijer, M.J., Biesmeijer, J.C., van Nieuwstadt, M.J. & Kraaykamp, H. 1994. Honey production in Stingless bees: Differences in flight activity and foraging between Melipona and Tetragonisca. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Apiculture in Tropical Climates, pp. 221–226.
Freitas, B.M., Sousa, R.M. & Bomfim, I.G.A. 2007. Absconding and migratory behaviors of feral Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in NE Brazil. Acta Scientiarum Biological Sciences 29(4): 381-385.
Guibu, L. & Imperatriz Fonseca, V.L. 1984. Atividade externa de Melipona quadrifasciata Lepeletier (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae). Ciên. e Cult. 36(7): 623.
Hartfelder, K., Bitondi M.M.G., Brent C.S., Guidugli-Lazzarini K.R., Simões Z.L., Stabentheiner A., Tanaka E.D. & Wang, Y. 2013. Standard methods for physiology and biochemistry research in Apis mellifera. Journal of Apicultural Research 52(1): 1-48.
Heard, T.A. & Hendrikz, J.K. 1993. Factors influencing flight activity of colonies of the stingless bee Trigona carbonaria (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 41: 343–353.
Heard, T.A. 1999. The role of stingless bees in crop pollination. Annual Review of Entomology 44: 183-206.
Hilário, S.D., Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L. & Kleinert, A.M.P. 2000. Flight activity and colony strength in the stingless bee Melipona bicolor bicolor (Apidae, Meliponinae). Revista Brasileira de Biologia 60(2): 299-306.
Hilário, S.D., Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L., & Kleinert, A.M.P. 2001. Responses to climatic factors by foragers of Plebeia pugnax Moure (in litt.) (Apidae: Meliponinae). Revista Brasileira de Biologia 61: 191–196.
Inoue, T., Salmah, S., Abbas, I. & Yusuf, E. 1985. Foraging behaviour of individual workers and foraging dynamics of colonies of three Sumatran stingless bees. Researches on Population Ecology 27: 373–392.
Jaapar, M.F., Halim, M., Mispan, M.R., Jajuli, R., Saranum, M.M., Zainuddin, M.Y., Ghazi, R., & Ghani, I.A. 2016. The Diversity and Abundance of Stingless Bee (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) in Peninsular Malaysia. Advances in Environmental Biology 10(9): 1-7.
Kleiner-Giovannini, A. & Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L. 1986. Flight activity and responses to climatic conditions of two subspecies of Melipona marginata Lepeletier (Apidae, Meliponinae). Journal of Apicultural Research 25: 3–8.
Kovac, H., Stabentheiner, A. & Brodschneider, R. 2009. Contribution of honeybee drones of different age to colonial thermoregulation. Apidologie 40: 82–95.
Kovac, H., Stabentheiner, A. & Schmaranzer, S. 2010. Thermoregulation of water foraging honeybees – balancing of endothermic activity with radiative heat gain and functional requirements. Journal of Insect Physiology 56: 1834–1845.
Kovac, H. & Stabentheiner, A. 2011. Thermoregulation of foraging honeybees on flowering plants: seasonal variability and influence of radiative heat gain. Ecological entomology 36(6): 686-699.
Kumar, D., Sharma, V. & Bharti, U. 2015. Mapping of medicinal flora as honey bee forage. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 3(6): 235-238.
Lacerda, L. M., Zucchi, R. & Zucoloto, F. S. 1991. Colony condition and bionomic alterations in Geotrigona inusitata (Apidae, Meliponinae). Acta Biológica Paranaense 20 (1, 2, 3, 4): 109-123.
Maia-Silva, C., Hrncir, M., da Silva, C.I. & Imperatriz-Fonseca, V.L. 2015. Survival strategies of stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) in an unpredictable environment, the Brazilian tropical dry forest. Apidologie 46: 631–643.
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of The World. 2nd Edition. The John Hopkins University Press.
Neves, E.F., Faita, M.R., Gaia, L., Alves Junior, V.V. & Antonialli-Junior, W.F. 2011. Influence of climate factors on flight activity of drones of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Sociobiology 57: 107-114.
Nicolson, S. 2009. Water homeostasis in bees, with the emphasis on sociality. The Journal of experimental biology 212: 429-34.
Rasmussen C. & Cameron S.A. 2010. Global stingless bee phylogeny supports ancient divergence, vicariance, and long-distance dispersal. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 99:206–232.
Reddy, P.R., Rashmi, T. & Verghese, 2015. A. foraging activity of Indian honey bee, Apis cerana in relation to ambient climate variables under tropical conditions. Journal of Environmental Biology 36(3):577-581.
Roubik, D.W. 1989. Ecology and Natural History of Tropical Bees. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sadler, N. & Nieh, J.C. 2011. Honey bee forager thoracic temperature inside the nest is tuned to broad-scale differences in recruitment motivation. Journal of Experimental Biology 214(3): 469-475.
Sakagami, S.F., Inoue, T. & Salmah, S. 1990. Stingless bees of central Sumatra. In: Sakagami, S.F., Ohgushi, R. & Roubik, D.W. (eds.). Natural History of Social Wasps and Bees in Equatorial Sumatra, pp. 125–137. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press.
Salim, H.M., Dzulkiply, A.D., Harrison, R.D., Fletcher, C., Kassim, A.R. & Potts, M.D. 2012. Stingless bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) diversity in dipterocarp forest reserves in Peninsular Malaysia. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 60(1): 213-219.
Samsudin, S.F, Mamat, M.R. & Hazmi, I.R. 2018. Taxonomic study on selected species of stingless bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) in Peninsular Malaysia. Serangga 23(2): 203-258.
Schmaranzer, S. 2000. Thermoregulation of water collecting honey bees (Apis mellifera). Journal of Insect Physiology 46: 1187-1194.
Schwarz, H.F. 1930. The Indo-Malayan species of Trigona. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 73: 281-328.
Souza, S.G.X., Teixeira, A.F.R., Neves, E.L. & Melo, A.M.C. 2005. Stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponina) residing at the Federação/Ondina Campus of the Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brasil. Candombá-Revista Virtual, Salvador 1(1): 57-69.
Sung, I.H., Yamane, S., Lu, S.S. & Ho, K.K. 2011. Climatological influences on the flight activity of stingless bees (Lepidotrigona boozana) and honeybees (Apis cerana) in Taiwan (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Sociobiology 58(3): 835-850.
Wan Nur Asiah, W.M.A, Sajap, A.S., Adam, N.A. & Hamid, M.N. 2015. Flight intensity of two species of stingless bees Heterotrigona itama and Geniotrigona thoracica and Its relationship with temperature, light intensity, and relative humidity. Serangga 20(1): 35-42.
Whittaker, J.B. 2001. Insects and plants in a changing atmosphere. Journal of Ecology 89: 507-518.
Willmer, P.G. 1991. Constraints on foraging by solitary bees. In: Goodman, L.J. & Fisher R.C. (eds). The Behaviour and Physiology of Bees, pp. 131-148. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.