Abstract

GALINDO-CARDONA, Alberto; QUIROGA, Osear B; BIANCHI, Eliana  and  AYUP, M. Marta. First report of a Drone Congregation Área of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Argentina. Rev. Soc. Entomol. Argent. [online]. 2017, vol.76, n.1-2. ISSN 0373-5680.

Natural reproduction of honeybees occurs in zones called drone congregation areas (DCA), visited by drones (males) and queens of several colonies. These are open areas, protected from the wind by a high vegetation cover and are very common near an apiary. Until now, no DCA had been reported in Argentina. We first determined the flight activity of drones, watching the entrance and exit to the hives from 8:00 to 18:00. We found two peaks of flight activity: from 11:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 17:30. To find a DCA, we tracked the movement of drones using helium-filled balloons and kites. Each contact point of drones in the bait was georeferenced with a GPS to determine the path to a DCA. We report the first DCA in northern Argentina, near an apiary that breeds queen bees, in Alberdi, Tucumán (ARG). This study is important because it implements a method for monitoring DCAs, which is useful to study the health and genetic structure and diversity of Apis mellifera L., as well as for apiculture, because it provides a tool for beekeepers that could help preserve regional ecotypes through reproductive planning for bees.

Keywords : Reproduction. Honeybees. Males. Queens. Pheromone. DCA..

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