Abstract
Trigona amalthea and T truculenta collect plant fibers by stripping pieces of bark (average size 3x11 mm) of branches and twigs of the physic nut in San Martin, Peru. They also, as does T fuscipennis, chew and destroy the ribs in the palmate-veined leaves and the petiole. From the leaves they were observed to gather both plant fibers and resins. Most of the Trigona species damaging crops belong to a monophyletic group of bees that builds exposed nests, thus requiring both fibers and resin for construction and maintenance of their colony. The control of the damage is best achieved by locating and removing the nest.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 31-34 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Entomotropica |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 1 Dec 2009 |
Keywords
- Agriculture
- Biofuel
- Neotropics
- Stingless bees