Temporal foraging pattern of Stingless Bee Heterotrigona Itama (Cockerel, 1918)

Abstract

A study was carried out from September 2014 to August 2015 at integrated farm, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia to describe the temporal patterns of Heterotrigona itama flight activity along the day and the year, and to identify possible abiotic factors that could influence and synchronize this activity. Statistical analysis showed a strong influence of time of day on flight activity, which started every day after sunrise and ended before sunset. Although activity was observed all over the year, the number of flying bees changed along the months establishing a seasonal pattern. Kruskal-Wallis test indicated a significant effect of the interaction of H. itama between time of day and month of year, p <0.05.