Análisis del aporte polínico de especies forestales en muestras de miel procedentes de apiarios, ubicados en las provincias de Pastaza, Orellana y los Ríos

Abstract

The Coastal and Eastern regions are known for the presence of a great diversity of flora and fauna, but little is known about the forest species with beekeeping potential and the main species explored by the bee Apis mellifera L., also currently manifesting a growing interest of beekeepers in knowing the botanical origin of their honey, to give added value to the product, this being one of the main limitations for beekeeping planning, therefore, the objective of the present research was to analyze the Pollen contribution of forest species in honey samples from nine apiaries, located in the Provinces of Pastaza, Orellana and Los Ríos. The methodology implemented in this research had a quantitative approach since statistical data was handled for the association of variables corresponding to the pollen content of forest species, using diversity indices and multivariate analysis. In the provinces of Pastaza and Los Ríos, an average diversity of honey flora was recorded following the number of species visited and the frequency of appearance of pollen types. Apis mellifera presented a polytechnic behavior when collecting pollen from several plant species, emphasizing bees that are not specialized in collecting pollen and use that of many plants from various taxonomic groups. On the contrary, a low diversity of honey flora was recorded in the province of Orellana, with a lower percentage of pollen identified as related to forest species. It means that Apis mellifera collects pollen from a limited number of plant species. Regarding the pollen contribution of forest species Apis mellifera exhibited a marked inclination of consumption towards Mimosa polydactyla (66.33%), Hieronyma asperifolia Huber (47.33%), Cecropia engleriana Snethl. (34%) and Quercus sp. (25.67%) stand out as their main preferences.