Espectro polínico do mel de Apis mellifera L. coletado no período de produção melífera

Abstract

Knowledge of the flora visited by bees is important both for the characterization of their products and for the conservation of flora and fauna. Thus, our study aimed to identify the flora used by Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a restricted area of the Recôncavo of Bahia in the period of honey production. The samples of honey were collected in apiaries located in the municipality of Cruz das Almas, Bahia, in the period of honey production for beekeeping activity in northeastern Brazil. International methods for the preparation of the samples were used, which were subjected to acid treatment by the standard method of acetolysis. The pollen content resulting from the analysis was examined under an optical microscope, with the separation and counting of the pollen grains. The pollen types were classified according to the frequency class according to international standards such as predominant pollen, secondary pollen, important minor pollen and minor pollen. The identification of the pollen types was performed by consultation and comparison to the reference pollen collections and specialized literature. A total of 27 pollen types distributed in 19 botanical families were identified in the sample set, with Fabaceae, Rubiaceae, Asteraceae and Sapindaceae being the ones with the highest number of pollen types. The types Mimosa tenuiflora and Vernonia condensata occurred as dominant pollen among the evaluated samples. The most frequent pollen types were M. tenuiflora, V. condensata, Bidens, Hyptis, Amaranthus spinosus, Schefflera morototoni and Serjania pernambucensis all with relative frequency in samples equal to or greater than 80%. The evaluated honey showed a diverse pollen spectrum, evidencing multifloral characteristic, with contribution of nineteen botanical families, highlighting Fabaceae, Rubiaceae, Asteraceae and Sapindaceae.