**8. Conclusion**

284 Macro to Nano Spectroscopy

*Total Sugar* x±se (%) n\* Rx T2 T3 T4

*colony* 27.47±1.37 52 137.16 ns 0.0009 0.0008 *semi-covered area* 26.80±1.81 32 137.81 0.0039 0.0033 *uncovered area* 21.33±0.86 74 98.24 ns

*Sucrose* x±se (%) n Rx T2 T3 T4

*colony* 13.01±1.26 51 135.62 ns 0.0004 ns *semi-covered area* 12.74±1.49 33 123.61 0.0028 ns *uncovered area* 09.63±1.18 78 93.60 0.0366

*Glucose* x±se (%) n Rx T2 T3 T4

*colony* 0.71±0.05 81 135.62 ns ns ns *semi-covered area* 0.78±0.09 52 123.61 ns ns ns *uncovered area* 0.98±0.11 97 93.60 ns ns ns *covered area without honeybee* 0.95±0.10 83 116.65 ns ns ns

*Fructose* x±se (%) n Rx T2 T3 T4

*colony* 13.75±1.36 51 59.30 ns ns 0.0016 *semi-covered area* 13.29±1.38 33 58.42 0.0701 0.0075 *uncovered area* 10.72±1.05 78 46.33 0.0390

\*n- sample size; x-Averages; se-standard error; H - H test; DF-degrees of freedom; KW-Kruskal-Wallis Probability; Rx-Medium position; ns-non significant and probability of the interactions (T1, T2, T3 and

Table 1. Means of total sugar, sucrose, glucose and fructose concentration (%), in soybean nectar (Glycine max L. Merrill) var. Codetec 207 for covered area with honeybee colony (T1); Semi-covered area (T2); uncovered area (T3) and covered area without honeybee colony

Analysis of sugar composition in nectar can be used for detecting variation between flowers or nectaries from different taxonomic varieties, and consequently generate differences in type and frequency of visitation of pollinators. Alves et al. (2010) studied the total sugar concentration in soybean nectar (*Glycine max* L. Merrill) var. Codetec 207 by spectrophotometry, using the general method for carbohydrates determination by phenol-

The research of Alves et al. (2010) was carried out in soybean plants in cages of 24m2 covered with an Africanized honeybee colony inside in which, semicovered area with free insect visits, uncovered area, covered area without Africanized honeybee colony. Each treatment was five repetitions. In this research, it was emphasized greater total sugar

(T4) – Reprinted from Alves (2004) and Alves et al. (2010) with permission

*covered area without honeybee* 21.74±1.05 66 96.79

*covered area without honeybee* 12.86±1.49 65 116.65

*covered area without honeybee* 7.93±1.32 65 34.92

sulphuric technique (Dubois et al., 1956).

*covered area with honeybee* 

*covered area with honeybee* 

*covered area with honeybee* 

*covered area with honeybee* 

T4 vs T2, T3 and T4)

H=19.88 DF=3 KW=0.0002

H=13.87 DF=3 KW=0.0031

H=0.78 DF=3 KW=0.8531

H =12.26 DF=3 KW=0.0065

Nectar is an important floral reward for the bee visitation in the flowers. That food is converted in honey into the hive and used as an energy source for the workers. The beeplant interaction is essential for the maintenance of genetic variability of plants as well as increased production of grains and fruits on a commercial scale.

Honeybees are very important for the pollination of both cultivated and native plants, and then understand the relationship between the collection of floral products (nectar, pollen, resins and oils), biology and behaviour of these insects help making better use for making bee products and agricultural products. Spectrophotometry is a tool to quantify and identify the components of floral products used by bees, especially nectar. These tests allow checking the correlation between the type and intensity of nectar in flower visitation by bees.

The methods employed in this molecular tool began to be developed in the early 50s of last century. Currently, the main analyses performed with the nectar spectrophotometry are: total sugars, reducing sugars, fructose determination (furfural and resorcinol), glucose oxidase (glucose determination in foods), hexokinase (glucose and fructose) and sugar concentration in nectar. As well as, in honey are made several analyses too, like diastase index, hydroxymethylfurfural and others.

Among the tests that can be done is determining sugar concentration in the nectar. The quantification of these sugars allows developing a series of studies associated with the floral visitation by bees collecting nectar and pollination of several species of cultivated plants. These studies contribute to the use of *A. mellifera* to assist beekeepers in increasing the honey production and the farmer in agricultural production. The association between agriculture and beekeeping has been demonstrated by studies presented that showed a positive association between the type of nectar produced by plant and intensity collection by honeybees. Much is still to be undertaken because the number of plant species studied that are pollinated by bees is limited in relation to the number of known species.

Especially in tropical regions, stingless native bees must be preserved and have great potential apicola and sustainable that is not operated, besides to the physicochemical analysis of the sugar composition of honey produced by these bees is not well known and do not have legislation around the world. Floral preferences of native stingless bees are not

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established yet. Spectrophotometry is an important tool to quantify and identify these components and contribute to knowledge about the interaction of stingless bees and flowers species in neotropical regions, besides to continue to be used in bee products chemical determination.

Finally it is worth mentioning that the spectrophotometry should be more standardized and published as an analysis tool to better use of the bees by the beekeepers in beekeeping industry and in agricultural production.
