Preferencias de nidificación de la abeja nativa mancita (M. favosa) en sabanas inundables de San Luis de Palenque, Casanare

Abstract

The Colombian eastern plains (Llanos Orientales) have seen an increase in their transformed area due to various driving forces of change. These changes have direct consequences on the region's biotic environment, one of which is the negative impact on the support of aquatic and terrestrial biota. The native stingless bee species, Melipona favosa (Fabricius, 1798), locally called abeja mancita, is found in the Flooded Savannas of Casanare. This species has been primarily used for the development of traditional meliponiculture in the area through the harvesting of nests from tree trunks. This low-scale extractive activity is not concerning, but its uncontrolled expansion can have significant consequences for the pollination of native plants. Despite being a nationally threatened and simultaneously promising species, little is known about its reproductive biology and ecology. For example, there is no available information on nesting preferences in terms of preferred plant species, characteristics of host trees, and nest location. In this work, these preferences were evaluated by compiling local knowledge, analyzing the correspondence and anatomical identification of tree trunks, and describing nest characteristics through transects. Local knowledge highlighted characteristics such as the development of nests in trees with cavities, a preference for resin-producing species, and variability in the shape of the nest entrance (piquera). Trunk analysis showed a 92% correspondence between the identification of species by meliponiculturists and their dendrological identification in the lab.

Four main plant species were identified, including Vitex orinocensis, which also showed a high frequency (52%) in the evaluated forest cover types. A slightly higher nest density of M. favosa was found in the Gallery Forests (52%; 2.8 nests/ha) compared to the Matas de Monte (forest patches) (48%; 1.9 nests/ha). In the latter cover type (Matas de Monte), host trees were recorded with high DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) (94.70 cm±1.26)$, with two dominant nest heights (1 m;3.5 m), and the presence of up to two nest entrances per tree. Gallery Forests, on the other hand, concentrated their nests in a relatively equal proportion between dead trees (51%) and live trees (49%). In both cover types, nests were mainly oriented toward the SE (Southeast) (48%) and were located in tree trunks (32%). The compilation of these characteristics is key for the design of restoration and management plans associated with the habitat of M. favosa, in order to ensure sustainability in local meliponiculture.