Morphometric characterization of bees and drones (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a new congregation area in Boyacá, Colombia

The reproduction process of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) occurs in defined congregation areas where natural mating occurs and males and unfertilized queen bees from different colonies converge. This work focused on the identification and characterization of a congregation drone zone in a biogeographic region of the low montane dry forest corridor, in the upper Andean valley of Sugamuxi-Tundama, for the density of bee colonies established there, considering the climatic factors of the environment and the description of biometric characters of bees and drones collected, and which constitutes the first report of a congregation zone for Colombia. In the study area, dry summer periods predominate alternating with short winter, cloudy days, and intense cold, with thermal sensations between 8 to 19°C. The drone movement route was established with an unmanned flight vehicle, through the interaction between the vehicle and bee specimens. The path of movement of drones was established operated between 10 and 60 m in North-South direction. Specimens of worker bees were collected identifying African, European, or Eastern European lines and drones of two types, yellow and black, evaluating biometric parameters and estimating the discriminant factor. The activity of the drones, occurs in two periods of 10:00 to 12:00 hours and 15:00 to 17:00 hours, flying regularly between round trips up to a 1 km radius. This work describes a methodology for monitoring congregation areas and consolidates itself as a tool for beekeepers for the conservation of regional ecotypes through bee reproductive planning.