Pollen spectrum of stingless bees honey (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Paraná State, Brazil

The objective of this study was to identify the plants that contribute to the honey composition of stingless bees using pollen analysis. We collected 30 stingless bees honey samples. The pollen analysis was performed following the standard method of acetolysis. We identified 55 pollen types belonging to 27 families. The predominant pollen types were Casearia, Eucalyptus, Galactia, Miconia, Morus, Myrcia I, Syagrus and Rubiaceae type. The pollen types most frequent among the samples were Syagrus, Eucalyptus, Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia, Psidium, Miconia, Morus, Leucaena and Inga. The average number pollen types per sample the studies species ranged from 4.25 to 9.00, indicating the participation of several plant species in the honey composition of stingless bees. The occurrence of a predominant pollen type was recorded in 40% of the samples. The pollen spectrum of the honey samples analyzed were diverse, with significant contributions of Fabaceae (subfamily Mimosoideae), Asteraceae and Myrtaceae as the most diverse in species visited by stingless bees in the study area.