Production of Honeydew by Scale Insects Associated with Bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella Benth) in Serra Catarinense, Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT Scale insects Stigmacoccus paranaensis (Foldi, 2006) associated with bracatinga trees (Mimosa scabrella) in Santa Catarina, Brazil, can play an important economic role and guarantee the production of "bracatinga honeydew honey". This scale insect has the ability to excrete large amounts of honeydew, of economic importance for beekeepers, especially due to the natural occurrence of host plants at high density, known as "bracatingais". In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the honeydew produced by scale insects associated with M. scabrella in the Bom Retiro, Santa Catarina, Brazil. We determined the density of the host plant in the studied area, the intensity of infestation by scale insects, and the volume and sugar concentration of excreted honeydew. The average density of bracatinga was 437.5 individuals ha-1, and the average density of scale insects per plant was 8,287. During 10 minutes, the average rate of honeydew excretion by scale insects was 0.45 µl and 0.34 µl, respectively, in 2002 and 2004. The estimated volume of honeydew production was 0.54 L in 2002 and 0.41 L in 2004 tree-1 day-1. The highest sugar concentration was observed in 2004 (28.13%). The excretion rate was affected by climatological factors and the size of the insects. This is the first study presenting a systematic evaluation of honeydew production by scale insects in Southern Brazil. The results of the present study support production of honeydew honey in the Serra Catarinense region as an important sustainable economic and traditional activity.

Variaçäo de alguns parâmetros do mel de melato em relaçäo ao mel floral / Comparison of some components between floral honey and honeydew honey

O mel de melato é produzido a partir de secreçöes de partes vivas das plantas difere do mel floral em vários aspectos. Foram analisadas 14 amostras de mel floral e 11 amostras de mel de melato provenientes de Minas Gerais e de Santa Catarina, assim classificadas de acordo com os métodos de Kirkood e de White. Foram realizadas as determinaçöes de pH, reaçäo de Lund, viscosidade e condutividade. Foi aplicado o teste exato de Fisher que demonstrou haver associaçäo entre mel de melato e pH acima de 4,2, reaçäo de Lund abaixo de 0,6 e viscosidade acima de 19,4. Foram analisadas misturas contendo diferentes proporçöes de mel de melato em mel floral e determinados valores para polarimetria, condutividade, pH, resíduo mineral fixo, açúcares redutores de viscosidade. Á medida que aumentou a concentraçäo do mel de melato houve uma alteraçäo significativa nos valores das variáveis analisadas, verificada pelo coeficiente de regressäo b. Foi demonstrado que algumas medidas como pH e viscosidade podem ser aplicadas como critério de diferenciaçäo entre estes dois tipos de mel. (AU)

Honeydew honey differs of the floral honey in many aspects. In order to check that eleven honeydew honey and fourteen floral honey were analysed for pH, Lund reaction, conductivity and viscosity. The Fisher test was applied to check if there was any association between the kind of honey and the quantitative aspects of this study. It was demonstrated that there is association between honeydew honey and the pH above 4,2, Lund reaction below 0,6 mL and viscosity above 19,4. In order to study the effects of a gradative addition of honeydew honey on floral honey and its characteristics such as polarimetry, conductivity, pH, ashes, reducing sugars and viscosity, a linear regression analysis of these characteristics, was done using a blend of both kind of honey. It was observed by the regression coefficient b that the floral honey mixed with honeydew honey showed a significative modification of variables studied when the concentration of honeydew honey was increased. (AU)

Diferenças sensoriais entre mel floral e mel de melato / Sensorial differences between floral honey and honeydew honey

Com a finalidade de verificar diferenças sensoriais entre mel floral e, identificar a presença do mel de melato misturado ao mel floral, foi aplicado o teste de diferença pareado e a determinaçäo instrumantal de cor e tubidez em várias amostras de mel. Foi tomada uma amostra de mel floral puro e uma amostra de mel de melato puro como referências. Foram elaboradas no laboratório misturas de mel floral com quantidades variadas de mel de melato para a aplicaçäo dos testes. Na caracterizaçäo sensorial foi observado que o mel floral apresentou aroma e sabor mais caracteristico, menor viscosidade e gosto doce mais acentuado que o mel de melato puro. Em relaçäo às misturas, nos testes definitivos, foi observado que, entre 10 e 15(por cento), a mistura começou a perder aroma e sabor característicos, ficou mais viscosa e mais doce. No entanto, ficou demonstrado que as amostras mostraram varibilidade sensorial. A medida de cor foi afetada pela presença de mel de melato. As medidas de turbidez e luminosidade näo mostraram resultados significativos. (AU)

The paired comparison test and the instrumental determination of colour and turbidity wereapplied to identify the presence of honeydew honey in various honey samples. The references used were apure floral honey and a pure honeydew honey. Mixtures containing both of them were made at the laboratoryto run the tests. The sensorial characterization showed the floral honey presented a more characteristicflavor, less viscosity and it was sweeter than honeydew honey. The definitive test indicated that between 10and 15% the mixture started to lose its characteristic flavor, became more viscous and sweeter than the floralhoney. In fact samples showed sensorial variability. The measure of colour was affected by the presence ofhoneydew honey. Turbidity and luminosity did not show significant results. (AU)

Determinaçäo de açúcares em mel floral e mel de melato de algumas regiöes de Minas Gerais e de Santa Catarina / Sugar determination in floral honey and honey dew from regions of Minas Gerais and Santa Catarina

O mel de melato difere do mel floral em relaçäo à sua composiçäo em açúcares. Afim de verificar estas diferenças, foram analisadas 14 amostras de mel floral e 11 amostras de mel de melato e determinados os teores de frutose, glicose, sacarose, maltose, melezitose, erlose e rafinose por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência com dectetor de índice de refraçäo. Foram testadas diferentes fases móveis para separar melezitose de erlose que säo trissacarideos presentes no mel. O mel de melato apresentou teor de glicose menor que o mel floral, o que foi estatisticamente confirmado pelo teste U de Mann-Whitney. A erlose estava presente em todas as amostras. Näo foi detectada meletizose nas amostras de mel floral. (AU)

Honeydew honey differs of floral honey in sugar aspecto In order to check that, eleven honeydew honey and fourteen floral honey were analysed for frutose, glucose, sucrose, melezitose, erlose and rafinose by high performance liquid chromatography with refractive index detector. Differents mobille phases were tested to separate melezitose from erlose, both are trissacharides commonly found in honey. Honeydew honey presented less glucose contente than honey and erlose was presente in ali oneydew honey. Melezítose was not detected in t10- ral honey samples. (AU)