CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A colmeia Langstroth traz em seu modelo original uma tampa interna, localizada imediatamente abaixo da tampa que serviria para auxiliar as abelhas na termoregulaÃÃo do ninho. No Brasil, essa tampa interna foi retirada dos componentes da colmeia sob a alegaÃÃo de que o paÃs à tropical e a tampa interna se tornaria desnecessÃria, sem que estudos tenham sido conduzidos a esse respeito. O presente estudo se propÃs a investigar o papel da tampa interna da colmeia Langstroth na homeostase de colÃnias de abelhas africanizadas Apis mellifera no perÃodo de estiagem no SemiÃrido nordestino. O estudo foi realizado nos meses de outubro e novembro de 2012, no SÃtio CanafÃstula do BixopÃ, Distrito de BixopÃ, municÃpio de Limoeiro do Norte-CE. O experimento constou de 10 colmeias sem tampa interna (T1) e 10 colmeias com tampa interna (T2), nas quais se registraram temperatura e umidade relativa no interior das colmeias, a ventilaÃÃo (intensidade e nÃmero de operÃrias ventilando), coleta de Ãgua (nÃmero de abelhas coletoras por horÃrio, nÃmero de viagens por abelha, intervalo entre as viagens e tempo gasto para coleta), bem como o consumo das reservas de alimento entre as colmeias dos dois tratamentos. Os resultados mostraram que houve diferenÃa significativa (p<0,05) para a temperatura e umidade relativa no interior das colmeias, com as mÃdias diferindo estatisticamente entre T1 (32,08Â0,27ÂC e 53,23Â0,62%) e T2 (31,60Â0,33ÂC e 54,96Â0,75%). Os dados de intensidade de ventilaÃÃo, e o nÃmero de abelhas ventilando nÃo diferiram entre os tratamentos T1 (20,65Â0,77 mm e 0,62Â0,14 abelhas) e T2 (20,27Â0,86 mm e 0,3Â0,06 abelhas). Na coleta de Ãgua, houve diferenÃa estatÃstica nos horÃrios de 11:00, 15:00 e 16:00, nos tratamentos T1 (16,25Â2,05, 18,25Â2,28 e 14,00Â1,35) e T2 (8,25Â1,88, 12,25Â0,62 e 9,75Â0,75), como tambÃm no tempo gasto para a coleta de Ãgua (T1=34,86Â0,56 s e T2=37,64Â0,63 s). O nÃmero de viagens/abelha/dia diferiu nos tratamentos T1 e T2 somente entre os quartis I e II (Q1T1: 11,25Â4,52; Q2 T1: 35,5Â22,22; Q1T2: 4Â1,71; Q2 T2: 25,5Â15,28), para o teste de Man-Whitney. No intervalo entre viagens houve diferenÃa estatÃstica somente nos quartis I, II e IV dos tratamentos T1 (Q1T1: 6Â5,13; Q2 T1: 8Â7,41 e Q4 T1: 97Â23,50 min) e T2 (Q1T2: 5,25Â3,94; Q2 T2: 8Â6,94 e Q4 T2: 272Â82,29 min) para o teste de Man-Whitney. A mÃdia de consumo da reserva de alimento nÃo diferiu entre tratamentos, sendo 177,7Â29,9 g em T1 e 141,8Â13,8 g em T2. Conclui-se que a tampa interna da colmeia Langstroth propicia que as abelhas dessas colmeias consigam melhores condiÃÃes de homeostase interna do ninho desprendendo menor esforÃo que aquelas de colmeias sem tampa interna. / The Langstroth hive has its original model in an inner lid, just below the lid which would serve to assist the bees in the nest thermoregulation. In Brazil, the inner cover was removed from the hive components on the grounds that the country is tropical and the inner cover would become unnecessary, but no study has been done in this direction. The present study aims to investigate the role of the inner cover of the hive Langstroth homeostasis of Africanized bee colonies Apis mellifera in the dry season in the Caatinga in Limoeiro Norte-CearÃ. The survey was conducted in October and November 2012 at the site of CanafÃstula BixopÃ, District BixopÃ, in the city of Limoeiro do Norte, state of CearÃ. The experiment consisted of 10 hives without inner cover (T1) and 10 hives with inner cover (T2), in which he recorded temperature and relative humidity in the hives, ventilation (intensity and number of workers fanning), water harvesting (number of collecting bees by time, number of trips per bee, interval between the journeys and time spent for collection), and the consumption of food reserves from the hives of the two treatments. The results showed a significant difference (p <0.05) for temperature and relative humidity in the hives, with averages differing significantly between T1 (32.08  0,27ÂC and 53.23  0.62%) and T2 (31.60  0,33ÂC and 54.96  0.75%). The intensity data of ventilation, and the number of fanning bees did not differ between T1 (20.65  0.77mm and 0.62  0.14 bees) and T2 (20.27  0.86mm and treatments 0.3  0.06 bees). In collecting water, there was no statistical difference in the times of 11:00, 15:00 and 16:00 in T1 (16.25  2.05, 18.25  2.28 and 14.00  1.35 treatments) and T2 (8.25  1.88, 12.25  0.62 and 9.75  0.75), as well as the time spent collecting water (T1 = 34.86  0.56s and T2 = 37.64  0.63s). The number of trips / bee / day differed between the T1 and T2 only between quartiles I and II (Q1T1: 11.25  4.52; Q2 T1: 35.5  22.22; Q1T2: 4  1.71, Q2 T2: 25.5  15.28), for the Man-Whitney test. In between trips was no statistical difference only in quartiles I, II and IV of T1 treatments (Q1T1: 6  5.13; Q2 T1: 8  7.41 and Q4 T1: 97  23.50 min) and T2 (Q1T2: 5.25  3.94; Q2 T2: 8  6.94 and Q4 T2: 272  82.29 min) for the Man-Whitney test. The average consumption of food supply did not differ between treatments, being in T1 177.7  29.9g and 141.8 3.8g in T2. We conclude that the inner cover of the hive Langstroth provides that these bees hives achieve better conditions of internal homeostasis of the nest giving off less effort than those of hives without inner cover in conditions of the Limoeiro do Norte, CearÃ.