Melissopalynological characterization of honeys from the Discovery Coast, Brazil

Although Bahia presents high honey production, considering the national scenario, and has a diversity of environments, studies that characterize the state bee flora using melissopalynology cover relatively little spatial area. In this sense, we aimed to characterize the pollen spectrum of Apis mellifera L., 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from the Discovery Coast, Bahia. To this end, 21 honey samples were obtained from beekeepers from the municipalities of Belmonte, Eunapolis, Guaratinga, Itabela, Itagimirim, Itapebi and Porto Seguro, from November 2017 to August 2018. All honey samples were prepared using the acetolysis method and the slides were deposited in the palynotheca of the Federal University of Southern Bahia (palinoFLORAS, UFSB). The pollen types present in the honey samples were identified and, subsequently, at least 500 pollen grains per sample were counted, determining the frequency classes and frequency of occurrence. The pollen spectrum presented 44 pollen types distributed in 34 genera and 22 families. The pollen types Brosimum, Cecropia, Eucalyptus 1 and Mimosa pudica were found to be the predominant pollen. Eight pollen types were classified as very frequent, present in more than 50% of the samples: Borreria verticilata, Brosimum, Cecropia, Eucalyptus 1, Eucalyptus 2, Mimosa pudica, Myrcia 1 and Vernonia. We noted the absence of pollen types from the endemic species of the Discovery Coast, but some types such as B. verticillata and Vernonia, related to species that are on the list of vital plants for beekeeping, have been identified. Others helped to characterize the pollen spectra of regional honeys, such as those related to the genera Brosimum, Cecropia and Euterpe that are associated with typical forest species and are represented in the vegetation of the Atlantic Forest in the South of Bahia.