The plant species visited by Apis mellifera L. were surveyed by pollen analysis in Santa Luzia do Paruá municipality, located in northwestern Maranhão state. Natural vegetation is Amazon rainforest, mean annual temperature varies between 26°C and 27°C, relative air humidity between 79 and 82%, and total rainfall between 2000 and 2400 mm. This study was conducted from August 2005 to July 2006 in three apiaries of the region, with monthly sampling of honey, pollen and plants. The samples were analyzed by the acetolysis method. The pollen types were identified and counted in honey samples to determine mean frequency of the three apiaries. In the pollen samples, pollen types were identified by comparison with the pollen of plants (flower buds) deposited in the reference collection. The main plant families used as floral resource by A. mellifera are Amaranthaceae, Arecaceae, Asteraceae, Urticaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae-Mimosoideae, Flacourtiaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae and Rubiaceae. In the honey samples, the pollen types of Mimosa pudica, Borreria and members of the Arecaceae family were most important during the rainy season. At harvest time (transition between rainy and dry season), Hyptis, Borreria, and an undetermined pollen type of the Asteraceae family were most important. The pollen types that show major constancy in the sample pollen were Euterpe oleracea, Asteraceae type 1, Mimosa pudica and Borreria.
Amazonia maranhense; Flora; Floristic inventory; Honey; Pollen
