Bee Reproduction Laboratory

Objective

This activity aims to preserve and breed native bees in the laboratory.

The Bee Reproduction Laboratory will be prepared to carry out four activities:

- Reproduction of bees using the mini colony method;

- Reproduction of queens

- Bee taxonomy analysis

- Analysis and production of propolis from Meliponas bees;

Disseminate Meliponiculture techniques and better use of stingless bees.

Methodology

For the production of queens in the laboratory, acrylic plates will be used, each containing 96 holes, 7 mm in diameter and 10 mm in depth, where 150 µl of larval liquid taken from newly constructed brood will be placed in each hole, homogenized and distributed with the help of a pipette.

Bee larvae will be removed from brood combs containing worker cells from the strongest colonies in the Parque da Cidade Meliponário. Using tweezers, newly hatched larvae (0-1 day old) will be removed from the uncapped brood cells and placed on the larval food in each hole in the acrylic plate.

To control relative humidity (RH), saturated solutions of NaCl will be used to maintain 75% RH, KCl to maintain 85% RH, and distilled water to maintain 100% RH. These solutions will be placed in Petri dishes (150 x 30 mm) and the acrylic plates placed on top of the solutions. The samples will be sent to an incubator at a constant temperature of 28°C, and 100% RH for the first 5 days, 85% RH for three days, and 75% RH for the remaining time.

Monitoring of larval development will be carried out daily during the larval period and every three days during the pupal period to identify possible technical difficulties.

Goals:

It is to have the capacity to reproduce hives to be placed in the Ecological Bee Corridor

Action Plan

The Project works with volunteer labor (Portalvoluntariadodf), therefore, its execution deadline, despite the efforts made by everyone, may be reviewed periodically in order to better adapt to the actual availability of participants and ease of action on the various integrated fronts of the project.