Harvesting dynamics of pollen sources by Melipona scutellaris Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae): a comparative analysis with Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the Atlantic Forest Domain

Generalist foraging behavior among stingless bees is accepted but untested, as well as the subsidiary hypothesis of floral preferences in the genus Melipona. Here we analyzed those hypotheses comparing the use of floral sources of pollen, through paired analyses of pollen samples from different colonies of Melipona scutellaris Latreille, in three areas of the Atlantic Forest Domain, in Northern Brazil. From August, 2004 to January, 2005, monthly samples of pollen were collected at the entrance of twelve colonies of M. scutellaris. In two places, four colonies of M. scutellaris were compared with four colonies of africanized Apis mellifera L. The main pollen sources chosen by the colonies of M. scutellaris were flowers of the following plant families, in decreasing order of importance: Myrtaceae, Mimosaceae, Anacardiaceae, Sapindaceae, Caesalpiniaceae and Fabaceae. Productive pollen sources of Asteraceae, Arecaceae e Rubiaceae were heavily exploited by the colonies of A. mellifera and discharged by the colonies of M.scutellaris. Often, both species shared the main productive pollen sources, as the flowers of Myrtaceae and Mimosaceae. On the other hand, no pollen sources were heavily exploited altogether by both of them, as a rule. In different places and periods, the colonies of M. scutellaris presented high intra-specific similarity and they formed distinct clusters apart from A. mellifera. Therefore, the selection of pollen sources by colonies was species dependent. The paired comparisons refute the hypothesis of random flower exploitation by colonies and give support to the subsidiary hypothesis of selectivity or floral preferences by M.scutellaris.