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Melittopalynological Study of Domesticated Stingless Bees,
Heterotrigona itama (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) From
Unisza Tembila Campus Apiary, Besut
Nursyazana Mohamad Junid
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof Dr. Wahizatul Afzan Azmi
Co. Supervisor: Assoc. Prof Dr. Khamsah Mohd
Bachelor of Applied Science
(Biodiversity Conservation and Management)
School of Marine and Environmental Sciences
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Melittopalynology is a pollen analysis that focuses on pollen collected on pollen
basket (corbiculae) of stingless bees to determine their preferred floral
resources. However, such studies are limited in Malaysia. The aims of this study
are to identify the types of pollen collected from corbiculae of stingless bees,
Heterotrigona itama and to produce a checklist of their preferred floral types at
UniSZA Tembila Campus Apiary. Reference pollens were collected from
dominant plants in the study area and corbiculae of ten H. itama of three
colonies from September 2017 to November 2017. Pollens collected were
observed and identified under a light microscope. The highest percentage of
pollen was collected from Acacia spp. followed by Mimosa sepiari and Leucaena
leucocephala. This is due to the selective nature of H. itama that emphasize on
floral rewards during foraging. Findings of this study provide useful information
that would improve the meliponiculture industry in Malaysia.
1747 | UMT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2018