Evaluating trap nest attractiveness: seasonal and spatial patterns of stingless bee (Apidae: Meliponini) foraging in artificial nests in Brazilian savanna

The use of trap nests is an effective strategy for capturing stingless bee colonies. This study evaluated the efficiency of different trap volumes and attractive fixation techniques. The experiment was conducted between 2023 and 2024 in a Cerrado fragment. No trap resulted in colony capture, but 44 bee visits were recorded from the species Tetragona quadrangula (n=33), Trigona sp. (n=6), Apis mellifera (n=3), and Tetragonisca angustula (n=2). The 1.5 L and 5 L traps exhibited greater visitor diversity. The presence of tracing paper did not significantly influence species composition (R=-0.002; p=0.848), whereas trap volume had a significant effect. Larger traps (5 L) were the most visited, followed by smaller ones (1.5 and 2 L). Overall, bees preferred larger-volume traps, regardless of the presence of vegetal paper. The evaluation of bait attractiveness over time did not indicate a significant trend concerning the use of tracing paper, either in traps with or without paper. Environmental conditions influenced bee activity: the average temperature ranged between 26 and 30ºC for most of the study but dropped to 22ºC in the last three months, during which visits ceased. The highest number of visits was recorded in August 2023, with Tetragona quadrangula predominating. Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant relationship between T. angustula and Trigona sp., but the low sample size of T. angustula (n=2) prevents more robust conclusions. These results can help optimize the use of traps for stingless bee management, contributing to the conservation of these pollinators in the Cerrado.