Produção Nacional
Revisado por pares
A mixed colony of Scaptotrigona depilis and Nannotrigona testaceicornis (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponina)
2009; Research Foundation of Ribeirão Preto; Volume: 8; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.4238/vol8-2kerr002
ISSN1676-5680
AutoresCristiano Menezes, Michael Hrncir, Warwick Estevam Kerr,
Tópico(s)Insect and Pesticide Research
ResumoWe describe a case of a spontaneously established mixed colony of two species of stingless bees.The host colony of Scaptotrigona depilis, an aggressive bee that forms large colonies, was invaded by workers of Nannotrigona testaceicornis, a smaller bee that forms small colonies.The host colony and the invading species colony were maintained in next boxes about 1.5 m apart.The N. testaceicornis colony had been recently divided.Observations were made daily for 10 min, and every two weeks the colony was opened for observations within the nest.Initially the host colony bees repulsed the invading species, but as their numbers built up, they were no longer able to defend the entrance.An estimated 60-90 N. testaceicornis workers lived integrated into the colony of S. depilis for 58 days.During this period, they reconstructed and maintained the entrance
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