ethod for maintaining adult solitary bee Centris analis under laboratory condition

Author(s)

Tadei, Rafaela ^[1] ; da Silva, Claudia Ines ^[2] ; Decio, Pamela ^[2] ; Silva-Zacarin, Elaine C. M. ^[2] ; Malaspina, Osmar ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Sao Paulo State Univ, Postgrad Program Biol Sci, UNESP, Rio Ciaro - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Postgrad Program Biotechnol & Environm Monitoring, UFSCar, Biol Dept, Sorocaba - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION; v. 13, n. 3 JAN 2022.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Although solitary bees represent at least 70% of bee species, most ecotoxicological studies on bees focus on social species and there are only a few species of solitary bees. One of the challenges in developing toxicological studies on solitary bees is the lack of protocols for maintaining these species under laboratory conditions. This study aimed to develop a method to maintain adult individuals of the solitary bee Centris analis under controlled conditions. Six models of cages with adaptations for food identification and resting areas were tested based on cages used for Apis mellifera and Osmia bicornis. With this in mind, we placed one individual of Centris analis in each cage and set the temperature at 28 degrees C. Cage models with survival higher than 50% of individuals were used to measure the influence of photoperiod, training and concentration of food in bee adaptation and longevity. Cages containing a wood cube and an artificial fabric flower supported the survival of 75% of captive bees for longer than 30 days at 28 degrees C. Bee survival rate was higher in the absence of photoperiod. This work showed the importance of an acclimatization period of 3 days for C. analis and described a feasible method for future studies evaluating the effects of pesticide effects on solitary bees under laboratory conditions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/21097-3 - Bee-agriculture interactions: perspectives to sustainable use
• Grantee: Osmar Malaspina
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 19/27863-5 - Can pesticide mixing harm the health, behavior and reproduction of native solitary bees?
• Grantee: Rafaela Tadei
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 20/12639-0 - Effects of the neonicotinoid insecticide Imidacloprid and the fungicide Pyraclostrobin on the solitary bee Tetrapedia diversipes: evaluation of energy metabolism, cellular responses and composition of the microbiome
• Grantee: Pâmela Decio Horst
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral