Abelhas sem ferrão capturadas e resgatadas na Amazônia Meridional e implantação de meliponário de pesquisa

Abstract

The stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae) are important elements to the balance of the ecosystem, because they pollinate natural and cultivable plants. Several studies have been pointing the decline of the pollinators, due to deforestation, use of pesticides and other anthropogenic actions. The aims of this work were the rescue of stingless bees (SB), the identification of species, the construction of experimental Meliponary at UFMT, Campus of Sinop, and the management of rescued species. To capture the swarms baits were set in pet bottle in forest areas in Sinop, Mato Grosso. The rescues were made in Cláudia and Sinop, in deforested areas in a lumberyard. Other swarms were received by rescues of other people, i.e., of Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) of Colíder and of a rural producer of Juara/MT. Besides the donation of five nests of Melipona pernigra by the Secretary of Environment of Alta Floresta. To the identification of the species ten exemplaries were collected of each nest, mounted and shipped to taxonomic identification in the Hymenoptera Comparative Biology Laboratory – LBCH, of the Federal University of Paraná (hereby UFPR). The following species were rescued in Cláudia: Tetragonisca angustulae, in Sinop: Scaptotrigona sp., Melipona seminigra, Tetragonisca angustula, Partamona combinata, Frieseomelitta trichocerata, Leurotrigona muellari, Melipona fasciculata. The HPP Colíder donated five species (Tetragonisca angustula, Scaptotrigona sp., Scaptotrigona polysticta, Melipona abunensis, Nannotrigona punctata), besides three species rescued in Juara (Melipona pernigra, Scaura tenuis, Tetragonisca weyrauchi). The experimental meliponary of UFMT is composed of fifty two swarms and thirteen species, highlighting Tetragonisca angustula and Scaptotrigona polysticta, respectively with sixteen and ten hives. Some species are not endemic of Mato Grosso, such as Melipona pernigra, Melipona seminigra and Frieseomelitta trichocerata, which is a worrying factor, since it can compromise the genetic diversity and survival in exotic environment. Beyond that the low wealth of SB species rescued may be an indicative of the reduction of biodiversity in the region of this study.