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Abstract
The efficiency of insects as crop pollinators depends on their biological characteristics in relation to the crop and the environment in which they are needed. For glasshouse pollination in Japan, stingless bees are potentially promising pollinators for the following reasons: they are harmless to beekeepers and glasshouse workers, they visit a wide range of crops (polylecty), they are tolerant of high temperatures, they are active throughout the year, they can be transported easily, and they do not pose an environmental risk by escaping and invading natural habitats as they would not survive the Japanese winter. There are still, however, some limitations to using stingless bees in such areas, one of which lies in how to improve methods for propagating and maintaining the colonies throughout the year. To address this problem we suggest the development of a new type of hive box.
... usually uses its mouth to bite. This spesies of insect can be found in tropical and some subtropical climates 14 . ...
... Insect activity is also influenced by environmental factors, such as air temperature, humidity, and light intensity 14 . This is because insects are poikilothermic organisms, so their body temperature is much influenced by the temperature of their environment 20 . ...
This research was conducted to determine the abundance of species, frequency and time of visit of pollinating insects in the honey pumpkin and sweet corn agroecosystems. The research was carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm and Plant Pest Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Jambi University from November 2020 to February 2021. The method used was the exploratory survey method. Data collection was carried out by direct observation and insect collection using a sweeping net on several plant samples that had been systematically determined with a diagonal (X) pattern. Insect observations were carried out every day starting from 07.00-18.00 Western Indonesian Time (WIT) on 1 honey pumpkin plant and 1 sweet corn plant and observed again in the following weeks during the generative phase. The data obtained were analyzed quantitatively and graphed to compare each species of insect found. The results showed that there were 6 species of pollinating insects found in honey pumpkin and sweet corn: Vespa tropica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), Vespa velutina (Hymenotrea: Vespidae), Apis cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Apis dorsata (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Xylocopa latipes (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and Trigona sp (Hymenoptera: Apidae). The time of visit of pollinating insects indicates the specific time of visit, namely at 07:00-11:00 WIT on honey pumpkin plants and at 07:00-10:00 WIT on sweet corn plants. The highest frequency of insect visits was found in Apis cerana species with an average visit of 15.1 times on honey pumpkin flowers and 17 times on sweet corn flowers at 07:00-08:00 WIT.
... Stingless bees, known as meliponines, are diverse bees in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide (Roubik 2022). These bees are important pollinators of a wide range of crops (Heard 1999;Amano et al. 2000;Slaa et al. 2006) and play a vital role in the health and functioning of ecosystems (Paz et al. 2021;Campbell et al. 2022). In addition to their ecological importance, stingless bees have a long history of use in meliponiculture and are valued for their honey production (Kwapong et al. 2010). ...
The commercial stingless bee Heterotrigona itama naturally nests in tree cavities but is kept in wooden boxes in meliponiculture farms. However, at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), these bees primarily nest in lamp posts. We conducted a temperature survey to investigate the potential influence of temperature on the selection of lamp posts as nesting sites by H. itama. We measured ambient temperatures in occupied lamp posts in shaded areas and unoccupied lamp posts in exposed areas on the UMS campus, calculating the percentage of time these temperatures fell outside the optimal range for H. itama. Our aim is to determine if the preference for occupied lamp posts was related to their distribution in relation to temperature variations. In addition, we analyzed the occurrence and timing of temperature regulation in lamp post nests by comparing temperature differences between occupied and unoccupied lamp posts across four-time blocks. Temperature measurements of occupied (shaded) and unoccupied (exposed) lamp posts revealed that exposed lamp posts experienced maximum temperatures outside the bees’ optimal range (27–32 °C), unlike the shaded lamp posts. The percentage of time that temperatures exceeded the optimal range was 9.72% higher for exposed lamp posts compared to shaded lamp posts. This suggests that H. itama may prefer shaded lamp posts due to their more stable temperature profile. The inside temperature of lamp posts, whether occupied or not, was consistently 1.54–1.76 °C warmer than ambient during hotter periods and closer to ambient during cooler periods, indicating conductive properties of metal lamp posts to retain heat. Occupied lamp posts exhibited higher inside temperatures than unoccupied lamp posts in the late afternoon and evening, suggesting active thermoregulation by bees to maintain optimal nest temperature. This study added our understanding to the adaptability of stingless bees in increasingly urbanized environment, contributing to pollinator conservation and meliponiculture industry improvement.
... They form perennial colonies comprising hundreds to thousands of female workers [2]. These bees are highly effective pollinators for economic crops and native plants, playing a crucial role in biodiversity and agriculture [4][5][6][7][8]. Additionally, they are valued for honey, pollen, and propolis production [3,9]. ...
Stingless bees, prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, are a tribe of eusocial bees that are crucial pollinators for economic crops and native plants and, produce honey and pollen. However, colony expansion is limited by a shortage of queens for new colonies. Therefore, mass artificial rearing of virgin queens could address this in commercially managed meliponiculture. Furthermore, the in vitro rearing of queen stingless bees can improve meliponiculture management and conservation efforts. Herein, we explored the efficacy of in vitro queen rearing for Heterotrigona itama, assessing the queen’s body size, reproductive organ size (ovary and spermatheca), acceptance rate into new, small colonies, and mating frequency. H. itama larvae developed into queens when fed with 120 μL–150 μL of larval food, resulting in in vitro queens having body sizes similar to those of naturally produced queens. Microscopic analysis revealed well-developed ovaries and spermathecae in in vitro-reared queens, unlike the smaller ovaries and the absence of spermathecae in the naturally produced workers. Acceptance of in vitro-reared queens was independent of worker age, and mating frequency was low but not significantly different from naturally produced queens. These findings could enhance stingless beekeeping practices and conservation efforts for the native stingless bee species.
... Stingless bees, known as meliponines, are diverse bees in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide (Roubik, 2022). These bees are important pollinators of a wide range of crops (Heard, 1999;Amano et al., 2000;Slaa et al., 2006) and play a vital role in the health and functioning of ecosystems (Paz et al., 2021;Campbell et al., 2022). In addition to their ecological importance, stingless bees have a long history of use in meliponiculture and are valued for their honey production (Kwapong et al., 2010). ...
The commercial stingless bee Heterotrigona itama naturally nests in tree cavities but was kept in wooden boxes in meliponiculture farms. However, at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), these bees primarily nest in lamp posts. We conducted a temperature survey to assess lamp posts as potential nesting sites for H. itama , aiming to determine if the preference for occupied lamp posts was related to their distribution. We measured ambient temperatures in occupied lamp posts in shaded areas and unoccupied lamp posts in exposed areas on the UMS campus, calculating the percentage of time these temperatures fell outside the optimal range for H. itama . Additionally, we analyzed the occurrence and timing of temperature regulation in lamp post nests by comparing temperature differences between occupied and unoccupied lamp posts across four-time blocks. Temperature measurements of occupied (shaded) and unoccupied (exposed) lamp posts revealed that shaded lamp posts experienced temperatures outside the bees' optimal range (27°C-32°C) less often than exposed lamp posts (68.4% vs. 78.12%). This suggests that H. itama may prefer shaded lamp posts due to their more stable temperature profile. Additionally, the internal temperature of lamp posts, whether occupied or not, was consistently 1.54–1.76°C warmer than ambient during hotter periods and closer to ambient during cooler periods, indicating inherent insulation properties of the metal lamp posts. However, a notable difference in temperature between occupied and unoccupied posts was observed in the late afternoon and evening, suggesting active thermoregulation by bees to maintain optimal nest temperature.
... Between these three species, only Halictidae 1 showed significant visitation rate (Mean ± SE) between the legitimate (0.52 ± 0.19) and illegitimate (0.24 ± 0.03) visits (Mann-Whitney test, U = 0.500, p < 0.05). Heterotrigona itama is one of the eusocial insects that live in perennial colonies (Amano et al., 2000). The workers collect pollen, nectar, and propolis for the queen for reproduction. ...
Many ornamental plants are aseasonal, providing continuous food supply which leads to survival of many flower-visiting insects. Although the flower-visiting insects are always perceived as pollinators, not all visitation actually resulted in pollination of the flowers. Thus, this study aimed to identify the flower-visiting insects of a common ornamental plant, Rosa spp., and to determine their potential role as pollinators from their foraging behaviour at the flowers. Data collection was conducted in Jasin, Melaka, in 2021. A camera was set up approximately 0.5 meter from the full bloom flower, throughout its anthesis period. From the video footage, the parameters recorded were visitation frequency, visitation type (legitimate and illegitimate visitation) and the time spent at the flower. As a result, 253 visitations were recorded by six insect taxa; four from the order Hymenoptera, and one each from the order Lepidoptera and Diptera. A hymenopteran bee, Halictidae sp. was found to show the highest visitation frequency. Only three species; Halictidae sp., Heterotrigona itama and Amegilla sp. showed legitimate visits. For the time spent (mean ± SE), Halictidae sp. (30.08 ± 4.87 minute) recorded significantly longer time as compared to other visitors (H = 13.78, df = 4, p < 0.01). Based on the visitation rate, time spent and visitation type, Halictidae sp. showed the highest potential as pollinator for Rosa spp., followed by H. itama and Amegilla sp. It is important to understand the contributions of the ornamental plants such as Rosa spp. as food source to these insects for conservation of these pollinating agents. Not only these flowers help in the survival of pollinating agents throughout the years, these pollinating agents also contribute to the survival of the flowering plants by facilitating the pollination process of the flowers they visited.
... After 2 months of confinement, bees from two of the six hives installed in the greenhouses died, and another two hives needed to be removed from that environment to prevent deaths. The authors concluded that this effect was colony-dependent but may have been aggravated by the high temperatures inside the greenhouse since intense heat can reduce larval food density and induce egg sinking, leading to larval death (Amano et al., 2000). ...
Stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponini) comprise a group of eusocial bees with great potential for use in greenhouse pollination. However, low light and increased temperature in these protected systems can compromise bee performance. This study evaluated the effect of reduced light incidence and intensity in the spectral range of ultraviolet (345 nm) and green (540 nm) and increased temperature on bee acclimation and foraging behaviour of three tropical stingless bee species (Melipona quadrifasciata, Frieseomelitta varia, and Scaptotrigona cf. postica) in experimental arenas. For M. quadrifasciata foraging was more
frequent in the mild-temperature treatments and was not affected by UV and green light reduction. However, Frieseomelitta varia was more active in treatments with higher light incidence and intensity in the UV and green range. In conditions of mild temperature and high luminosity, there was an increase in foraging activity for this species throughout the days of
confinement. Lastly, S. cf. postica had the greatest difficulty acclimating, even under conditions of high light incidence and mild temperature. Taken together, our results show that
the environmental conditions evaluated (i.e., reduced UV and green light incidence and increased temperature) differentially affected stingless bee species. These results reinforce the need for specific management strategies when using tropical stingless bees as pollinators for greenhouse crops.
... This is because bees from the Meliponini tribe are easily manageable due to their non-harmful characteristics. As the bees are without a sting, it is known as social bees and called stingless bees (Amano et al., 2000). To date, 600 stingless bee species and 64 different genera have been uncovered (Nordin et al., 2018;Smith, 2020). ...
The popularity of Malaysian stingless bee honey is rising among health‐conscious individuals; thus, chemical and physical evaluations of Malaysian stingless bee honey are vital to ensure the honey has achieved the optimum limits set by Malaysian and international regulatory standards so that it can be commercialized locally and internationally. Therefore, in the present study, the physicochemical characteristics (moisture content, total dissolved solids, pH, free acidity, electrical conductivity, and ash content), antioxidant properties (total phenolic and flavonoid contents), and 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF) of Heterotrigona itama (H. itama) honey from different sites in Peninsular Malaysia were investigated. Subsequently, the correlation between these chemical and physical parameters was studied using Spearman correlation coefficients. The significant difference between H. itama honey from different topographical origins was studied using univariate analysis (one‐way ANOVA followed by post hoc Tukey's test). The discrimination pattern of 45 honey samples based on their topographical origins was evaluated using cluster analysis (heatmap and dendrogram) and chemometrics analysis (partial least squares‐discriminant analysis). Results showed that some samples of certain parameters (electrical conductivity, free acidity, and moisture content) have exceeded the limit set by the international regulatory standard. However, the 5‐HMF content of all samples was within the allowed range. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) has been observed for all the parameters except electrical conductivity and ash content in terms of inter‐topographical origins. Although the profiles of H. itama honey from different origins were close, most of them were separated according to their topographical origins and were validated using a permutation test.
... En el 2007, la Sociedad Brasilera de Entomología generó un catalogó que abarca cerca de 500 especies diferentes [5], considerando a la Tribu Meliponini como el grupo de abejas más grande. Solo a nivel de América Central y del Sur se han descrito más de 400 especies [6], [7], concentrando su diversidad en la cuenca del río Amazonas [1]. De hecho, se ha visto que su hábitat principalmente es de clima cálido [1]. ...
Los principales polinizadores de la flora silvestre son las abejas sin aguijón y los productos del nido como el polen recolectado, el propóleo y principalmente la miel; han sido empleados en la dieta diaria y aún mejor en la medicina tradicional. Empleando palabras clave como: actividad antimicrobiana, antioxidante, antibacteriana y anticancerígena se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en libros y artículos de investigación de los buscadores científicos PubMed, World Wide Science, Google Scholar y Springer Link, para describir aspectos generales y ejemplos de los beneficios en la salud de la miel. Estudios in vitro e in vivo han demostrado una relación positiva entre las características fisicoquímicas y la composición fitoquímica de la miel con el efecto benéfico en el tratamiento de afecciones leves como cicatrización de heridas, hasta procesos complejos de inflamación, estrés oxidativo, o infecciones microbianas. Así, la miel de abejas sin aguijón representa un producto con potencial terapéutico.
... Stingless bees are highly eusocial bees which lack of functional sting and major visitor of flowering plants in tropics (Amano et al., 2000). They can be found throughout the tropical and subtropical parts of the world, such as Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia, and tropical America. ...
It is a great privilege for us to present the authors and delegates of the conference with the proceedings of the inaugural International Conference on Food and Industrial Crops (ICFIC2022). We hope that you will find it informative, exciting and motivating. This version of e-proceeding contains a total of 28 papers submitted to the ICFIC2022 delivering the sustainable development of food and industrial crops in Malaysia and around the globe, concerning both crop-oriented and bio-based materials, which was held at The Waterfront Hotel, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia on 21st – 24th September 2022. This conference was one of the three concurrent international conferences under the umbrella of Congress on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (COSAFS2022). The conference was jointly organised by the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Institute of Ecosystem Science Borneo, Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus and Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Sarawak (M-FICORD).
The conference under the COSAFS2022 aims to provide a platform to discuss and exchange knowledge between participants, promote and strengthen international and national collaborations in sustainable agriculture and food security as well as identifying and promoting smart agriculture solutions for the development of sustainable agriculture and food security. Hopefully, this event will also spark innovative ideas, and foster research relations or partnerships between the various institutions, corporate bodies, and communities. The conferences featured more than 300 participants including academicians, research scientists, policymakers, and officials from public and private sectors with thought-provoking keynote lectures, oral and poster presentations in the field of sustainable agriculture and food security.
The editors hope that this publication of e-proceeding will provide the reader with a broad overview of the latest research, development, and innovations and that it will be a valuable reference source for further research all over the world. The editors would like to express their sincere appreciation and thanks to all the authors for their contributions to this publication. We would like to express our utmost gratitude and appreciation to all the reviewers for their constructive comments on the papers. Nonetheless, we would also like to extend our special thanks to the organising team of COSAFS2022 who have work hard to ensure the success of the congress.
Thank you.
Bees play a crucial role in pollination but are exposed to various pesticides during nectar and pollen collection, which can impact their health and pollination efficiency. This study aimed to investigate morphological and histochemical changes in the hypopharyngeal glands of Scaptotrigona postica after exposure to three chemical compounds: glyphosate, fipronil, and Tween. Nurse bees of S. postica were divided into four experimental groups and fed with sucrose syrup containing the compounds for 24 h. After the exposure period, the hypopharyngeal glands were analyzed for morphology using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The hypopharyngeal glands of S. postica exhibited a tubuloacinar structure, with unicellular acini approximately 54 µm in diameter. Exposure to fipronil resulted in changes in the organization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and increased area and sphericity of the acini compared to all other groups, as well as a higher presence of proteins in the cytoplasm compared to other pesticides, potentially due to increased food consumption. Bees exposed to glyphosate showed alterations in the mitochondria compared to all groups. The Tween group did not exhibit significant changes in cellular ultrastructure, only a smaller area and sphericity compared to the control group. The hypopharyngeal glands are highly sensitive to pesticides and are efficient bioindicators. Significant changes in these glands can compromise the maintenance of the colony.
Temporal patterns of flight activity and influence of climatic variables on activity of colonies of the potentially useful crop pollinator, Trigona carbonaria Smith, were investigated. Colonies of T. carbonaria were active all the year at the experimental site but the daily activity period was longer in the warmer months. Intensity of daily flight activity was greatest in September and least in May. Temperature and radiation were the most important variables affecting flight activity. They impose thresholds on activity, with flight occurring only at temperatures greater than 18-degrees-C and radiation greater than 15 W m-2. Temperature and radiation also influence the intensity of activity above the thresholds. Relative humidity, vapour pressure, cloud cover and wind speed had no significant effect. A variable measuring the hours from daily peak of activity was significantly correlated with flight activity, indicating an intrinsic diel pattern of activity. Daily variation in flight activity, representing the influence of unmeasured variables, was also significant.
Stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) are common visitors to flowering plants in the tropics, but evidence for their importance and effectiveness as crop pollinators is lacking for most plant species. They are known to visit the flowers of approximately 90 crop species. They were confirmed to be effective and important pollinators of 9 species. They may make a contribution to the pollination of approximately 60 other species, but there is insufficient information to determine their overall effectiveness or importance. They have been recorded from another 20 crops, but other evidence suggests that they do not have an important role because these plants are pollinated by other means. The strengths and limitations of stingless bees as crop pollinators are discussed. Aspects of their biology that impact on their potential for crop pollination are reviewed, including generalized flower visiting behavior of colonies, floral constancy of individual bees, flight range, and the importance of natural vegetation for maintaining local populations.
The effects of supplementary pollination on initial and final nut set and nut weight of theMacadamiacultivars, ‘Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station 246’ and ‘Hidden Valley A4’, were assessed over 3 years at an orchard in eastern Australia. The final nut sets of racemes bagged to exclude insect pollinators were low in all 3 years of the study for both cultivars. This demonstrated the importance of exposure to insect visitors to increase nut set of these cultivars. However, the improved initial nut set by supplementary cross pollination of 246 in all 3 years of the study showed that insect pollination is inefficient compared to hand pollination. Furthermore, supplementary cross pollination of 246 increased final nut set by 57–97% in 1989 and increased nut weight by 15.0% and kernel weight by 20.0% in 1991. Cross pollination of A4 did not result in any consistent pattern of initial nut set and did not improve final nut set, but increased nut weight by 11.6% and kernel weight by 18.4%, with a higher percentage kernel recovery in 1991. In addition, supplementary self pollination of A4 increased nut sets in both 1989 and 1990. Yield and quality of both cultivars may benefit from increasing pollen transfer in the orchard.
Using the approach of Mahalanobis it was desclosed that workers ofMelipona quadrifasciata are, as far as the external morphology is concerned, closer to males than to queens of this species. A preliminary interpretation of this is given based in a slight modification of theBritten andDavidson hypothesis (batteries of genes) applied to the sex determination system of these bees. There are two sets of sex genes: one set that acts in the embryo and determines ovary or testis and another that acts in the prepupal stage determining the transformation of the imaginal discs and tegument in adult female or adult male structures. A preliminary hypothesis for gene regulation is proposed for both sets. The mode of action of the second set implies that a substance produced by food above a given limit acts on the integrator genesx
a andx
b (with two alleles each) and these put a receptor gene (Rxa+xb) into action that by its turn, put into action the gene (or genes) for femaleness;Melipona workers are females inside (have ovaries) but are almost males in the outside, tegument, eyes, wings). The place of action of the juvenile hormone in this battery has not yet been experimentally determined, but this working hypothesis put it provisorily in the beginning of the battery.
Sounds are an important part of the communication behavior, the so-called dances, of the honey bee. Stingless bees, which do not use dances for communication, use sound signals to indicate the existence and, in some cases, the distance of a feeding place. The social organization of communities of stingless bees is more primitive than that of honey bees, yet certain commonfeatures of communication behavior in these two groups lead to a new hypothesis of the evolution of dancing behavior of the honey bee.