Nutritive value and apparent digestibility of bee-collected and bee-stored pollen in the stingless bee, Scaptotrigona postica Latr. (hymenoptera, apidae, meliponini)

Pedro Guilherme Fernandes-da-Silva; José Eduardo Serrão

doi:doi:10.1051/apido:2000100

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Volume 31 / No 1 (January-Febuary 2000)

Apidologie, 31 1 (2000) 39-45

Abstract

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Issue		Apidologie Volume 31, Number 1, January-Febuary 2000


Page(s)		39 - 45
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/apido:2000100

DOI: 10.1051/apido:2000100

Apidologie 31 (2000) 39-45

Nutritive value and apparent digestibility of bee-collected and bee-stored pollen in the stingless bee, Scaptotrigona postica Latr. (hymenoptera, apidae, meliponini)

Pedro Guilherme Fernandes-da-Silva ${^{\rm a}}$ , José Eduardo Serrão ${^{\rm b}}$

${^{\rm a}}$ Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, P.O. Box 199, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
${^{\rm b}}$ Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36571-000 Viçosa, MG, Brazil

(Received 28 June 1998; revised 9 March 1999, accepted 30 August 1999)

Abstract:

In Meliponini bees, pollen is stored inside the hive. We compared the nutritional value and apparent digestibility of bee-collected and bee-stored pollen of Scaptotrigona postica. The results showed no differences in nutritional value and apparent digestibility between bee-collected and bee-stored pollen, suggesting that the storage process of pollen grains do not play a role in these parameters. These results are discussed in relation to other aspects of pollen storage, such as food conservation and/or organoleptic properties of stored pollen.

digestion / hypopharyngeal gland / meliponini / pollen / stingless bee

Correspondence and reprints: José Eduardo Serrão
jeserrao@mail.ufv.br

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