ALTERNATE FOODS FOR Melipona scutellaris L., AND ITS EFFECT ON BEEHIVE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Native bees have been prominent in family farming and biodiversity preservation. The effect of alternative foods on the development of 16 box-nested Melipona scutellaris hives in the city of Areia, Paraíba, evaluated fortnightly for four months was evaluated. Undergoing four treatments with four repetitions, treatment1 (T1) without supplementation, treatment2 (T2) sugar syrup had 50% demerara plus protein food (soybean and corn flour complex), treatment3 (T3) 70% syrup more protein food and treatment4 (T4) 60% sugar syrup plus cornmeal. The offer was ad libitum. The following parameters were measured in the hives: intake, brood number (NC), number of combs (NF), honeycomb diameter (DM), honeycomb height (HF), brood cell height (HC) and estimated hive population (POP). The results indicated good acceptance to alternative foods by the bees, syrup consumption between treatments are similar, differing only in T3 that was occasionally found solidified, it is believed that the higher sugar concentration may have favored. The consumption of farinaceous foods showed a growing curve over the days evaluated within all treatments, but there was no significant difference between them in the total period. Evaluating the parameters between the treatments, no significant differences were observed, but numerically the values improved over time and remained more stable in the treatments that were supplemented in relation to the control. The most prominent observation was in the HC parameter, when comparing repetition in time, which differed statistically in the initial collection with 11.13mm and in the final with 11.62mm. It is concluded that the tested food supplements for M. scutellaris allow relatively constant maintenance of the number of young, population and increase of the height of young cells over time.