Abstract: Australian native stingless bees play a crucial role as pollinators in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. In the Wet Tropics, where both plant and bee diversity are very high, there is little information about plants required by stingless bees in these habitats. This study aimed to identify the plants foraged by three stingless bee species, Tetragonula sapiens, T. hockingsi and T. clypearis, in the wet tropics of Far North Queensland. We collected pollen, honey and propolis samples from 31 hives and identified plant sources using DNA metabarcoding. We identified 180 plant sources of pollen, 153 plant sources of nectar and 102 plant sources of resin in hives. Interestingly, all bee species foraged for pollen heavily on crop species, such as macadamia, longan and lychee. This suggests that all three stingless bees may be used as supplementary pollinators in agricultural landscapes. Other important pollen sources were Melaleuca viridiflora and Xanthostemon chrysanthus. Common nectar sources were lychee, macadamia and citrus. Resin sources were mostly Corymbia torelliana and Mangifera indica (mango) trees. All stingless bee species foraged on exotic species, including the African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata), which is known to be harmful to bees. This study is the first to identify plant sources of hive pollens, honey and propolis for stingless bees in Australia. Beekeepers and growers may consider supplementing stingless bee hives with the plants identified here to optimise pollination services.
Biography: Nidhi Chakma is a PhD student at the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Queensland. Her research focuses on understanding the foraging behaviour of Australian native stingless bees in agricultural and natural landscapes.
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