Sociobiology (Jul 2014)
Susceptibility of Melipona scutellaris Latreille, 1811 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) worker bees to Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill.
Abstract
Entomopathogenic fungi are often used as an alternative method for insect pest control. However, few studies mention the action of these fungi on bees and selectivity to beneficial organisms in agroecosystems. The objective of the present study was to assess the susceptibility of Melipona scutellaris bees to the isolate of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. The experiment was carried out by applying fungus suspension on the back and by contact on recently emerged bees. A complete randomized design was used with five treatments (four concentrations: 1 x 105, 1 x 106, 1 x 107, 1 x 108 conidia/ml and a control of distilled water) with five replications. The mortality data were subjected to variance analysis, regression Probit analysis Statistic software, obtaining the estimate of the lethal dose to 50% of the population (LD50). The curves adjustment to model was evaluated by Pearson test chi-squared test and differences between the curves evaluated by test of parallelism. The B. bassiana was virulent uruçu bees (M. scutellaris) causing mortality at lower dose. Based on these results, it can make recommendations to minimize the impact, contributing to maintenance of naturalpopulations of these insects.
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