The irapuá Trigona spinipes is considered a pest insect of several crops because it feeds on their leaves, flowers and fruits. The aim of this study was to characterize the damage caused by irapuá on blueberry flowers (Vaccinium ashei) over the fruit set and fruit quality. The experiment was conducted in a blueberry collection of Embrapa Clima Temperado, in Pelotas, RS. Two hundred flowers were observed, being one hundred of them with irapuá damage and the other 100 flowers without damage. The fruit set was recorded as well as the level of soluble solids (TSS), the fruit diameter and number of seeds at the time of harvesting. A completely randomized design was used. Flowers without irapuá damage showed a higher percentage of fruit set and the produced fruit had a greater diameter and larger quantities of seeds. The TSS content on the fruits from flowers with or without irapuá damage was similar. These results suggest that T. spinipes is harmful to the blueberry culture, mainly at time of flowering, because the inset damage causes low fruit set and the production of small fruits with less seeds
Vaccinium ashei; Trigona spinipes; pollination; fertilization
