MELISSOPALYNOLOGY AND FORAGING PLANTS OF STINGLESS BEES, HETEROTRIGONA ITAMA (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) FROM PATTANI, THAILAND

This is the first foraging plant and palynological study using pollen stored by Heterotrigona itama (Apidae: Meliponini) in the Pattani, Thailand. The samples were directly collected from the pollen pots of H. itama species in apiaries located in the Pattani province. The samples were dried, weighed, diluted in warm water and ethanol, centrifuged and then processed using the acetolysis method. After mounting the pollen samples on the glass slides, we identified and counted at least 500 pollen grains per sample. The results show that the main and dominant pollen (over 10%) combinations in the pollen pots of H. itama include pollen from Cocos nucifera L., Capsicum flutescens L., Elaeis guineensis Jacq, Coldenia procumbens L. and Muntingia calabura L., respectively. This result, we can use data for present to the stingless bee farm in the future.