PRODUCTIVE INDICES OF NATIVE BEES ASSOCIATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AS MEASURED BY INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY IN ARAPIUNS, PARÁ

Abstract

ABSTRACT: When animals are subjected to environmental conditions outside of the thermoneutral zone they develop survival strategies that can compromise their metabolic functions, principally with respect to food production. The objective of this study was to identify productive indices of native bees associated to environmental conditions in colonies of Melipona interrupta raised through beekeeping techniques in the Coroca community in the region of the Arapiuns River. In order to diagnose environmental conditions in the 15 bee colonies, infrared thermography was used. Rainfall in the region is concentrated between the months of January and June with the highest rainfall occurring in March and April (280 mm and 270 mm, respectively). In the rainy season average air temperature was higher than in the dry season, and this period is when the majority of native plant species flower, thus increasing the availability of food sources for bees and consequently the production of honey. Analysis of thermal patterns revealed that the area near the entry to the honey pots had higher temperatures, reaching 43.0 ºC with a thermal amplitude of 3.4 °C. At the walls of the boxes and in the spaces between the honey pots temperatures of 34.0 °C were detected which signals that the colony is experiencing thermal stress, in agreement with results from the literature from other studies on this subject. Since these bees use thermal-regulation strategies, a notable oscillation of temperature was detected near the honey pots, which can be explained by the capacity of wax to function as a material that provides isolation from heat and water. We conclude that the continued production of honey during the period of higher air temperatures reinforces the concept that these bees possess the capacity to adapt to changing climate conditions in this region.KEYWORDS: Ecosystem Services, Melipona interrupta, Meliponicultura, Thermal regulation.