Food collection behavior of Apis mellifera and Tetragonisca angustula bees in Brassica napus L. in response to different environmental covariates: Environmental covariates and foraging behavior in Brassica napus L.

Abstract The objective was to evaluate the behavior of Apis mellifera and Tetragonisca angustula bees in pollination tests in Brassica napus at different times of the day, temperature and relative humidity. The experimental design was completely with eight treatments and two pollination tests, repeated in five randomized blocks during seven days of observations for two years, totaling 560 records. During the visits, the following parameters were recorded: collected resources, nectar collection site, time spent on flower, number of flowers visited in one minute, pollen load in the pollen basket and bee contact with anthers and stigma. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models. The number of Africanized and T. angustula bees collecting nectar increased with the passage of time throughout the day and with the decrease of relative humidity. The same was observed for nectar collection in both nectaries. The proportion of bees collecting pollen was higher in the morning hours, as well as when there was an increase in temperature for the two species of bees. Foraging behavior of A. mellifera in B. napus crop favored its pollination, indifferent of which collected floral resource as they came into contact with anthers and stigma. T. angustula bees performed pollination only during pollen collection. Pollination of B. napus was more effective in the warmer hours of the morning, when more of both species of bees carried out pollen collection. Due to its foraging behavior, A. mellifera had greater efficiency for pollination of B. napus; however, the association with T. angustula may potentiate the benefits generated for the crop by cross-pollination.