Abelha nativa: implantação de meliponários e qualidade de mel em Roraima

Abstract

Essential to ecosystems, native bees pollinate natural or arable areas, benefiting humans in socioeconomic aspects. The technical management of these insects results in products such as honey, propolis and wax, among others. The state of Roraima has particularities regarding the diversity of native bees and environmental constraints. However, the lack of official records on beekeeping in Roraima results in gaps in the aspects of the activity and the mellipona products. The objectives of this research were to characterize five meliponaries and associate them with the dimensions of sustainability, in addition to determining the composition of the honey produced by Scaptotrigona polysticta relating them to the phytophysiognomic types and seasonal climatic periods characteristic of Roraima. The study area was composed of forest (n=2), savannah (n=2) and ecotone (n=1) sites, with collections in the dry and rainy seasons. Based on the participatory research method, the characteristics of the activity were described, correlating them with the general principles of the dimensions of sustainability. Regarding the composition of the honey, physicochemical analyses were performed to quantify the contents of reducing sugars, apparent sucrose, moisture, ash content, pH, free acidity and hydroxymethylfurfural; and microbiological analyses to determine the presence of thermotolerant coliforms, Salmonella sp., molds, and yeasts. The beekeepers monitored during the research were classified according to their environmental, social and economic characteristics. The results obtained regarding the composition of honey are located in different ranges of the legislation analyzed. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 62% of the physicochemical variation. The seasonal climatic period influenced the composition of the honey, which showed significant differences for the parameters reducing sugars and sucrose. Considering the variability in the results, due to the climatic period and phytophysionomies, there is a need for complementary studies to create a state legislation that regulates the parameters of identity and quality of honey from native bees in the state. The pioneering results of this research reinforce the need for debate and planning of meliponiculture in Roraima.