Efficiency of pantraps for monitoring bees diversity in Brazilian acerola orchards: the role of color diversity.

Bee monitoring characterizes the local fauna and determines conservation measures. The study evaluated the influence of pantrap color on bee attraction and the difference in seasonal patterns of these insects. Collections were carried out in commercial plantations of Malpighia emarginata in the Northeast region of Brazil, using yellow, blue and white pantraps. A total of 1,449 bee specimens belonging to 59 species, four subfamilies of Apidae, 18 tribes and 31 genera were captured, with emphasis on the subfamily Apinae (89.6%). Blue pantraps captured 66.5% of the total sampled specimens, followed by white (19.6%) and yellow (13.9%). Melitomella grisescens (29.3%) was the most abundant species, followed by Apis mellifera (10.3%), Melitoma segmentaria (10.1%), Ptilothrix plumata (9.6%) and Melitoma ipomoearum (6.8%). With the exception of A. mellifera, all the most abundant species belonged to the Emphorini tribe (56%). Regarding the Centridini tribe, pantraps were efficient in collecting species, but not individuals. The months of September and November/2019 were the months when the lowest numbers of insects were collected and the lowest rainfall rates were recorded. In this sense, understanding new methodologies becomes essential to identify the diversity of pollinators for the construction of management and conservation plans.