In beekeeping, the knowledge of nutrition must be improved to maximize its genetic potential to enhance productivity, especially in times of food shortages. This study aimed at studying the influence of protein supplements on the development of Melipona rufiventris bee colonies. About 15 colonies of M. rufiventris were used. They were divided into three treatments with five replicates in a 3 × 3 factorial design with three types of supplementation x three periods. The evaluations were performed on the 30th, 60th, and 90th days after the start of the experiment. The colonies were supplemented with cornmeal with soy extract or cornmeal with brewer’s yeast, and without protein supplementation (control). The colonies received 3 g of the supplement every two days, and the leftovers were quantified. To evaluate their development, the following variables were considered: diameter of brood combs (DBC), number of brood combs (NBC), number of pollen pots (NPP), number of honey pots (NHP), and colony weight gain (WGC). Both supplements were accepted and consumed by bees, which allows them to be used for the nutritional supplementation of the species studied. There was an effect in time for the NBC, NPP, and WGC characteristics at 90 days of evaluation. Soybean and barley supplements are presented as efficient alternatives for the diversification of M. rufiventris feed.

在养蜂业中，必须提高营养知识，以最大限度地发挥其遗传潜力，从而提高生产力，尤其是在粮食短缺时期。本研究旨在研究蛋白质补充剂对Melipona rufiventris蜂群发育的影响。大约 15 个M. rufiventris菌落被使用了。在 3 × 3 析因设计中，将它们分为三种处理，重复 5 次，采用三种类型的补充剂 x 三个时期。在实验开始后的第 30、60 和 90 天进行评估。菌落补充有含大豆提取物的玉米粉或含啤酒酵母的玉米粉，但不补充蛋白质（对照）。菌落每两天接受 3 g 补充剂，并对剩余量进行量化。为了评估它们的发育，考虑了以下变量：育雏梳直径 (DBC)、育雏梳数量 (NBC)、花粉罐数量 (NPP)、蜜罐数量 (NHP) 和菌落增重 (WGC) . 这两种补充剂都被蜜蜂接受和消耗，这使得它们可以用于所研究物种的营养补充。在 90 天的评估中，NBC、NPP 和 WGC 特性在时间上有影响。大豆和大麦补充剂被认为是多样化的有效替代品M. rufiventris饲料。