A case of multiple mating in stingless bees (Meliponinae)

Abstract

In several stingless bee species many males aggregate in the vicinity of a nest when a virgin queen is present in the colony and is preparing for the nuptial flight. We report such male assemblage for Tetragonisca angustula. The departure of a virgin queen from the colony and the subsequent mating could be video-recorded, because the queen and the males that had mounted her fell to the ground. Since at least two males had lost their genitalia, multiple mating seems to have occurred. This is in contrast with the prevailing view found in literature concerning the mating biology of stingless bees.