Avaliação comportamental de colmeias de Apis Mellifera para seleção genética na microrregião de Catolé do Rocha - PB.

Abstract

The aggressivenessis seen as a defensive behavior performed by bees, which, when distur- bed, protect themselves against natural enemies. The Hygienic behavior is a genetic trait of great importance in controlling threats to the hives.This research sought to evaluate the de- fensive and behavioral characteristics of Africanized bees of the genus Apis mellifera sp. in hives on Campus IV of the State University of Paraíba, for further work on genetic selec- tion. The research was carried out in beehives of the Campus IV apiary, in the municipality of Catolé do Rocha-PB. The data were collected on seven wild swarms captured in Langs- troth model's boxes. The study of the vitality of the hives was carried out through the eva- luation of the amount of honey reserves and broods with some adaptations. Aggressiveness was measured by the Stort method, with adaptations, in which were collected (i) the time spent for the bees to become enraged, (ii) the time spent until the first sting in the styrofoam and (iii) the time spent to the bees settle down in the hive. The swarm defensiveness data were evaluated in a 3x2 factorial scheme, being three schedules (07:00 AM to 10:00 AM (H1); from 12:00 PM 02:00 PM (H2) and from 03:00 PM to 05:00 PM (H3)) and two sea- sons (dry and rainy), with seven replications.For the hygienic behavior, the data were sub- mitted to a 2x2 factorial, being considered broods (perforated and not perforated) and two seasons (dry and rainy), with seven replications. The data were submitted to ANOVA and the means were compared by the Tukey's test at the 5% probability level. The hives at Cam- pus IV/UEPB can be considered hygienic, with a higher percentage being measured in the dry season than in the rainy season in 2019. The swarms were more defensive in the dry season than in the rainy season.There was no statistical difference when comparing the times studied for the variables time for swarms to infuriate (i), time taken for the first sting (ii) and time taken for the swarms to calm down (iii). As for the vitality of the evaluated swarms, there was a stock of honey considered regular in the rainy season and low in the dry season in 2019. For the evaluation of the broods, low coverage of the frames was observed in both periods studied.