Limited foraging overlap between introduced Apis mellifera and native Melipona eburnea in a Colombian moist forest as revealed through pollen analysis

Abstract

Honey farming is a young industry in Colombia, where it is gaining relevance as a source of jobs and food security, especially in post-conflict low-income communities that place bee colonies in native forests. Previous studies on the palynological composition of this honey are insufficient and the role of native plants for the production of honey is therefore unknown. Here we present a palynological analysis of honey produced by two bee species, the introduced Apis mellifera and the native Melipona eburnea, both commonly used by low-income communities in the eastern region of the Department of Antioquia, in the Central Cordillera of Colombia. We analyzed species richness and diversity of pollen, characterized some life history traits of those species preferred by bees, and estimated the interaction web between the bee and selected plant species. The overlap between the two species was very small. We found that the source of nectar for A. mellifera were plants with different growth habits, both native and introduced. Instead, M. eburnea used mostly native tree and shrub species, at a constant height level. Our results suggest that setting bee colonies of A. mellifera close to those of M. eburnea may not result in competition between them. However, it is key to evaluate whether this pattern is the same using other sources of food, such as pollen, or in other geographic regions.

Keywords:

• Apis mellifera
• Melipona eburnea
• melissopalynology
• species competition
• honey

Acknowledgments

This research was carried out through grants from the research department of the Universidad Católica de Oriente. We thank: Yvonne Castañeda from the palynology laboratory of the National University of Colombia-Medellín and the Institute of Biology of the University of Antioquia, for her technical support. We also thank the Africolmenas Corporation, especially Carolina Duque, Daniel Osorio and several beekeepers, for providing us with access to their apiaries. Also, to Mauricio Torres and Pamela Rueda for their style corrections to the manuscript. Finally, we want to thank the valuable comments made to the manuscript by two anonymous referees and the editor of this journal.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniela Marín-Henao

DANIELA MARÍN-HENAO is a biologist from the University of Antioquia (UdeA, 2020). She currently belongs to the research group in Floristic Studies at the Universidad Católica de Oriente (Colombia). Her study focuses mainly on melispalinology and on the knowledge of the flora of Oriente Antioqueño.

Mario Quijano-Abril

MARIO QUIJANO-ABRIL has a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Antioquia. He is interested in the biogeography of the neotropical flora, systematics, evolution and plant morphology. He is currently the director of the Universidad Catolica de Oriente herbarium.

Carlos Eduardo Giraldo Sánchez

CARLOS EDUARDO GIRALDO SÁNCHEZ is an Agronomic Engineer who graduated from the National University of Colombia, Medellín (UNALMED, 2005). He has a Master's degree and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Antioquia (UdeA, 2010; 2016). He is currently an associated professor at the East Catholic University, Colombia (UCO). His primary research focuses on studying systematics, distribution, and life histories of the Neotropical butterflies and the biodiversity analysis of plants and insects. Recently he got involved in economic entomology, especially in topics related to pests in floriculture and horticultural crops.

Samir Julián Calvo-Cardona

SAMIR JULIÁN CALVO-CARDONA is a Zootechnician graduated from the University of Antioquia, Medellín (UdeA, 2008). He has a doctorate in Biology from the University of Antioquia (UdeA, 2016). He is currently an associate professor at the Universidad Católica del Oriente, Colombia (UCO). His main research focuses on the study of genetics, breeding and biomodelling. He is the leader of the research group in agronomy and zootechnics of the Universidad Catolica de Oriente (UCO) and Director of the seedbed of genetics and precision agriculture (GAP), of the Universidad Catolica de Oriente.

Isabel Cristina Zapata-Vahos

ISABEL CRISTINA ZAPATA-VAHOS, Ph.D. in biotecchnology. She is interested in characterization of nutraceutical foods. She is currently the professor of the Universidad Catolica de Oriente.