Caracterização morfoquímica de adultos da formiga Camponotus atriceps Smith, 1858 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) invasoras de colmeias de Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

• Autor(a) principal: Simões, Marcos Rogério [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Tipo de documento: Trabalho de conclusão de curso
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/11449/131716; http://www.athena.biblioteca.unesp.br/exlibris/bd/capelo/2015-10-16/000852118.pdf
• topic: Abelha; Morfologia (Animais); Formiga; Casta; Sociedades de insetos; Predação (Biologia)

Apiculture in Brazil is quite profitable and has great potential for expansion, because of the favorable climate and abundant plant diversity. However, the occurrence of pests, diseases and parasites hinders the growth and profitability of beekeeping. In the interior of the state of São Paulo, apiaries are attacked by ants, especially the species Camponotus atriceps Fr Smith (Formicidae: Formicinae), which use the substances produced by Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 (Apidae: Apinae), as a source of nourishment for the adult and immature ants, and kill or expel the adult bees during the invasion. This study aimed to understand the invasion strategy of C. atriceps in hives of A. mellifera. The individuals were classified into castes and subcastes according to morphometric analyses, and their cuticular chemical compounds were identified using Photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS). The morphometric analyses were able to classify the individuals into reproductive castes (queen and gynes), workers (minor and small ants) and the soldier subcaste (media and major ants). Identification of cuticular hydrocarbons of these individuals revealed that the eight beehives were invaded by only three colonies of C. atriceps; one of the colonies invaded only one beehive, and the other two colonies underwent a process called sociotomy, and were responsible for the invasion of the other seven beehives. The lack of preventive measures and the nocturnal behavior of the ants favored the invasion and attack on the bees