Quantification of brood emergence and distribution of individuals in Melipona colimana (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) in temperate climate

Abstract

Melipona colimana is a stingless bee endemic of Mexico that inhabiting temperate regions of the Southern State of Jalisco. Observations were made during the fall to infer the possible participation of the workers in the production of males. The behavior of workers and queen in provisioning and oviposition process (POP) was analyzed, the proportion of individuals was obtained in the brood combs and their spatial distribution for detecting clusters of males. In the analysis of POPs no evidence of reproductive labor activity of workers were observed. In the brood combs, 65.9 % of individuals that emerged were workers, 22.4 % males (without registering agglomerations) and 11.5 % were gynes. It was observed that the production of sexed individuals (males and gynes) was higher than tropical species, which could be a strategy of this species to ensure their reproduction in temperate climates. Having no visual evidence of the activity of reproductive workers together with the fact that no clusters of males in the brood combs were found, suggests that in this species at this time of year, all the eggs that developed as males come from the queen. With the results of this study, knowledge of the particular biology of this mountain stingless bee species is extended and a comparison with tropical species is made.