Não informado.

Author(s)

Rosana de Almeida

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 1998-09-24

Examining board members

Ademilson Espencer Egea Soares; Regina Helena Nogueira Couto; Silvia Regina Cunha Funari; Dejair Message; Zila Luz Paulino Simoes

• Advisor: Ademilson Espencer Egea Soares

Abstract

Among the different types of mutations that have been described for Apis mellifera, are included the variations in eye pigmentation. The aim of the present study was to observe the honey bees carrying the mutant eye color alleles cream (cr), snow-laranja (sla) and brick (bk), to investigate whether the abnormal eye pigmentation affects the behavior of these bees. The aspects studied were: 1. workers longevity in the field and in confinement; 2. attraction of worker bees by different light colors; 3. queen and drone flight activity; 4. drones longevity in the observation hive and in confined hive; 5. colonie development: brood, honey, pollen and wax production. Also we developed methods of semen storage in coconut water to maintain mutant and selected stocks. ln general, the results showed that the mean lenght of life of mutant workers was shorter than that of heterozygous and normal bees. The groups did not differ significantly in their preference by different light colors. The queen and drone flight activity suggest that the light eye pigmentation of mutant honey bees interfere with their orientation. The study of colonie development showed that the groups differ significantly in their performance to brood and pollen production. Additionally our results revealed that semen stored in capilary tubes at 8ºC with coconut water plus dehydrostreptomycin (pH 7,0 and pH 9,7) maintain living spermatozoa for 30 days and queens insemined with sperm stored for 15 days had their performance as good as that of queens insemined with fresh sperm. (AU)