Uso de repelentes para abelhas melíferas africanizadas

Abstract

The objective of this research was to evaluate some substances and verify their repellency to Africanized honey bees. The tests were carried out near the beekeeping laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the Federal University of Northern Tocantins, Araguaína Campus. The experiment lasted 15 days. In this experiment, natural substances such as citronella oil, almond oil, orange peel oil, annatto powder, and syrup were used as controls. Near the laboratory, five treatments were evaluated: (treatment 1 - T1) reference treatment (RT) only with syrup (water + 50% sugar), (treatment 2 - T2) syrup plus citronella oil (15 ml/l), (treatment 3 - T3) syrup plus almond oil (15 ml/l), (treatment 4 - T4) syrup plus orange peel oil (15 ml/l), (treatment 5 - T5) syrup plus annatto powder (15 g/l). This research revealed that the most effective product in repelling bees was the one containing citronella oil, followed by orange peel oil. The effects of annatto powder and almond oil were observed only initially. It is suggested that the volatility of the products could explain the rapid loss of efficacy. These results coincide with previous studies indicating the adaptability of bees to syrups mixed with repellent substances. Notably, citronella oil was the most effective repellent, leading the bees to avoid the collection and just fly in the vicinity of the trays.