Influence of landscape on foraging range and homing ability of afrotropical stingless bees

Abstract

A bee’s ability to return home, its homing ability, can be used as a proxy for the maximum foraging distance of that species. Body size is hypothesized to affect foraging distance with larger bees having larger foraging ranges. In this study, we estimated the maximum foraging distance of six different afrotropical stingless bee species (Meliponula bocandei, Meliponula ferruginea, Meliponula togoensis, Meliponula beccarii, Plebeina armata and Hypotrigona gribodoi.) in two different landscapes (urban and natural). We conducted translocation experiments in which marked bees were released at different distances. Time of return and number of bees that returned to the hive were recorded. Our findings showed that the maximum homing distance of the studied bees in an urban landscape ranged between 400 and 800 m, while in a natural landscape it ranged between 800 and 1800 m. The distance at which 50% of the released bees returned, was found to range between 200 and 400 m in an urban and 400–1200 m in a natural landscape. It is plausible that the shorter range in an urban landscape is caused by urban beekeepers feeding their bees close to the colonies, so the urban bees are less likely to forage at greater distances. In addition, artificial structures such as tall buildings, electrical posts, as well as busy traffic, could possibly interfere with the foraging behavior of bees in urban landscapes. The rate of return was higher for closer distances up to 400–600 m in urban and natural landscapes, respectively. Our study suggests that urban beekeepers could assist their bees by cultivating diverse flowering plants close to colonies