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Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies
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P-ISSN: 2349-6800, E-ISSN: 2320-7078

Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

2019, Vol. 7, Issue 3
Colony propagation in stingless bees, Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith)

C Mounika, Dr. PA Saravanan, Dr. MR Srinivasan and Dr. L Rajendran

Suitable colony propagation techniques are lacking for Tetragonula iridipennis which is the most common species of stingless bees found in Tamil Nadu. Stingless bees generally produce queen cells at regular intervals. In this study, attempts were made to divide the colonies having queen cells. Eight colonies of T. iridipennis were divided, out of which five colonies were successfully established after the gyne emergence and egg laying of new queen. These five newly divided colonies took 40, 107, 20, 54 and 43 days for their establishment from the date of division. The failure of three divisions was due to the attack of enemies like ants, resin bees and pollen mite. The findings of this study suggested that the stingless bee colonies can be propagated easily by way of colony division with royal queen cells.
Pages : 754-757 | 975 Views | 459 Downloads


Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies
How to cite this article:
C Mounika, Dr. PA Saravanan, Dr. MR Srinivasan, Dr. L Rajendran. Colony propagation in stingless bees, Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith). J Entomol Zool Stud 2019;7(3):754-757.

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