A Weblab For Research And Education On Native Bees Euripedes L. Lopes Junior 1 , Tereza C. Giannini 2 , Andre R. Hirakawa 1 , Silvio M. Amancio 1 , Antonio M. Saraiva 1 , Sérgio D. Hilário 2 , Vera L. Imperatriz-Fonseca 2 1. Agricultural Automation Laboratory – Escola Politécnica, Universidade de São Paulo - Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, trav. 3, n. 158, sala C2-56 - CEP 05508-900 - Cidade Universitária – S. Paulo - SP 2. Bees Laboratory– Bioscience Institute – Universidade de São Paulo (antonio.saraiva@poli.usp.br) Abstract: This paper presents the development of a weblab, a web-based virtual laboratory, for research and education on native bees. Its aim is to help researchers perform experiments remotely using the resources available on an Advanced Internet network and its services. Another objective is to increase the knowledge of the society about the biology and environmental importance of native bees by publishing relevant information for various audiences, from students to beekeepers. The work is part of the Vinces project, which integrates the TIDIA project framework from FAPESP whose goal is the development of technologies and applications for the advanced internet by means, among others, of virtual laboratories (weblabs). Introduction The native eusocial bees in Brazil belong to the Meliponini tribe and although more than 192 species were described already (Silveira et al., 2002a) it was estimated that there are more than 300 species. These bees could be considered as the main pollinators of native plants and crops in agricultural systems (Del Sarto et al., 2005). Several studies about stingless bees have involved in loco observations of behavior (Nieh, 2004). On the other hand, it is usually necessary to register data by means of photos or videos, for didactical uses and for comparative researches with different species or local conditions (e.g. Kleinert-Giovannini et al., 1991). In some cases, continuous recording of more than 24 hours is desirable for researchers to be able to see behaviors several times (e.g. Pioker et al., 2003). A conspicuous behavior presented by honeybees is the communication system used to transmit the localization of floral resources that is made through “dance” (Dyer, 2002). This communication pattern is similar for Melipona genus, whose bees make various types of movements. For stingless bees, the sound they produce is also important for communication since it is used for codifying information about distance (Michener, 1974) and height of floral resources (Nieh, 2004). Previous studies about sounds of Melipona quadrifasciata (Esch et al., 1965; Jarau et al., 2000) and other stingless bees had involved an experiment with previous training of bee foragers to communicate the localization of water with sugar syrups (Nieh, 2004). Nothing is known about bee communication related to variations along the day (especially, what happens at night), along seasons or about its relation to variations in weather conditions. The automation of data acquisition has a lot of advantages, such as, obtaining a large amount of data with quality in essays conducted at different locations using standardized methodologies and equipments; facilitating interactions between researchers based on group experiments and/or shared data; allowing cooperation to build a knowledge base to be spread to society (Saraiva & Giannini, 2005). Material and methods The proposed weblab has a database for characterization of species of bees and a hive monitored by a video camera and a microphone that obtains information of the sounds produced by the bees and their behavior in real time. 1) Database The database was originally developed for the Webbee project (www.webbee.org.br ) and consists of a series of information about the biology of the main native bees from Brazil (Saraiva et al. 2003). High resolution images (2560x1920pixels) and didactic videos (640x480pixels) are being included to the original database ad they will be available through the Vinces Portal. 2) Monitoring A mandassaia beehive (Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides) is being monitored for audio and video In: Zazueta F.; Xin J.; Ninomiya S. & Schiefer, G. Proceedings of 4th World Congress on Computers in Agriculture and Natural Resources. WCCA, 2006, Orlando. p. 206-9.