| Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the variations in the stored food resources and in the number of immature bees in Apis mellifera hives used for apple (Malus domestica) pollination. The study was conducted in the municipality of Vacaria, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with 40 hives, over two consecutive harvests. The evaluations were done in the hive brood frames before, during, and 45 days after a pollination period, by interpreting photographic field records. Before being transported to the orchards, the bees foraged primarily in areas with native forest or canola (Brassica napus) crop, in 2014/2015, and with native forest or eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.) reforestation, in 2015/2016. In both harvests, the percentage of food... |
