Evaluation of different types of stingless bees hives (<em>Tetragonisca angustula</em> Latreille, 1811)

Abstract

This research was carried out to evaluate the performance of stingless bees' colonies, Tetragonisca angustula Latreille, 1811 (Hymenoptera, Meliponinae), in Maringá region in the south of Brazil. Twenty colonies were settled in the following types of hives: Fritzen, Guiliani, Nogueira-Neto, and Antonio Carlos Farias (ACF), with five replications each type. The experimental season was from December, 1999 to December 2000. Monthly, the hives were weighed in order to get the colony weight. Data were analyzed statistically using the month as co variable and Scheffes’s test to compare the means. The colonies settled in Guiliani and Nogueira Neto hives showed the best performance differing (P=0.0004) from colonies settled in Fritzen and ACF types. The average of colony weight was 387.3 ± 92.2 g, 375.8 ± 72.6 g, 241.2 ± 137.1 g e 230.9 ± 55.3g, respectively, for those settled in Guiliani, Nogueira-Neto, ACF and Fritzen types. The critical months were March and May 2000, when eight of them died and eight deserted. The colonies kept in Guiliani and Nogueira-Neto types presented a steady weight. Thus we concluded that Guiliani and Nogueira-Neto types of hives would be highly recommended for Maringá region in the south of Brazil.