COLONIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE STINGLESS BEE JANDAÍRA (MELIPONA SUBNITIDA DUCKE) IN THE BRAZILIAN SEMIARID REGION

Abstract

Many factors can influence the population development of the colonies,
which may be internal or external to the hive. Therefore, the objective was to monitor the developmental status of colonies of jandaíra bees (Melipona subnitida) through the analysis of the laying rate in the most superficial breeding discs. Data collection took place by counting the visible brood cells on the most superficial discs. Five colonies of M. subnitida nested in a meliponary located in Pau dos Ferros / RN were photographed weekly, for a period of 8 consecutive weeks. From the cell count it was found that the stingless bee M. subnitida presented an average number of hatchling cells in the most apparent discs estimated at 206 ± 53. Positive and negative growth rates were verified during the evaluated period of time, also showing a lack of oscillatory pattern for all colonies observed. This indicated that this bee species can be affected by several factors such as genetics, management or even the availability of food in the space surrounding the meliponary. The data presented may contribute to future behavioral analyzes, providing more information about its biology and use in sustainable activities such as meliponiculture.