title: Morphological and Chemical Characterization of the Invasive Ants in Hives of Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Apidae).
abstract: Apiculture in Brazil is quite profitable and has great potential for expansion because of the favorable climate and abundancy of plant diversity. However, the occurrence of pests, diseases, and parasites hinders the growth and profitability of beekeeping. In the interior of the state of São Paulo, apiaries are attacked by ants, especially the species Camponotus atriceps (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), which use the substances produced by Apis mellifera scutellata (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), like honey, wax, pollen, and offspring as a source of nourishment for the adult and immature ants, and kill or expel the adult bees during the invasion. This study aimed to understand the invasion of C. atriceps in hives of A. m. scutellata. The individuals were classified into castes and subcastes according to morphometric analyses, and their cuticular chemical compounds were identified using Photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS). The morphometric analyses were able to classify the individuals into reproductive castes (queen and gynes), workers (minor and small ants), and the soldier subcaste (medium and major ants). Identification of cuticular hydrocarbons of these individuals revealed that the eight beehives were invaded by only three colonies of C. atriceps; one of the colonies invaded only one beehive, and the other two colonies underwent a process called sociotomy and were responsible for the invasion of the other seven beehives. The lack of preventive measures and the nocturnal behavior of the ants favored the invasion and attack on the bees.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências, Depto de Zoologia, Univ Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Rio Claro, SP, Brasil. marcosrogeriosimoes@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Simoes
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências, Depto de Zoologia, Univ Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Rio Claro, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giannotti
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências, Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais (CEIS), Univ Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Rio Claro, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: V C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Tofolo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências, Depto de Ecologia, Univ Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Rio Claro, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pizano
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental (Labeco)/CInAM, Univ Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), Dourados, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: E L B
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Firmino
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental (Labeco)/CInAM, Univ Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), Dourados, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Antonialli-Junior
authors.affiliation: Centro Integrado de Análise e Monitoramento Ambiental, Univ Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), Dourados, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: L H C
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Centro Integrado de Análise e Monitoramento Ambiental, Univ Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), Dourados, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000737:chemistry*; D001516:Bees; D001938:Brazil; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; C047663:cuticle proteins, insects
keywords: Beehive; caste; sociotomy; subcaste