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Sucrose syrup-collecting behavior in africanized and caucasian bees and in the descendants of their crossings

Osmar Malaspina; Antonio Carlos Stort

Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP, 13500 Rio Claro, SP, Brasil. Send correspondence to O.M.

ABSTRACT

Source colonies, inbred parent colonies and F ₁ descendants of crossings of Caucasian bees with Africanized bees were investigated for collecting behavior of 50% sucrose syrup located at a distance of 70 m from the hive. Data showed that all variables studied were statistically different in relation to source colonies, but only four collecting-behavior variables were different in the inbred parent colonies: bee weight, weight of honey stomach load, time to reach the feeder and time to return to the hive. Most of the F _ldescendants are close to the Africanized parents. The effect of environmental variables was also analyzed and showed influence of amount of light and humidity.

Keywords: syrup-collecting; behavior; africanized; caucasian; bees ; crossings.

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