Stingless bee

Trigona spinipes

Austroplebeia Cephalotrigona Cleptotrigona Dactylurina Hypotrigona Lestrimelitta Liotrigona Lisotrigona Melipona Meliponula Meliwillea Nannotrigona Nogueirapis Oxytrigona Paratrigona Pariotrigona Partamona plebeia Plebeina Scaptotrigona Trichotrigona Trigona Trigonisca

The stingless bees ( honey ) bees ( Meliponini ) form with about 370 species a tribe of bees within the basket collector. They are among the highly social species and form next to the honey bee is the only bee permanent colonies that inhabit their nests over several generations. Some species are used commercially for honey production.

• 3.1 Honey production
• 3.2 pollination

• 4.1 stingless bees of the Maya in Central America
• 4.2 Use of the People
• 4.3 Beekeeping

Dissemination

The distribution is pantropical, that is, in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world are some they represent. Particularly rich in species they occur in Central and South America, in Africa next to 28 degrees south latitude, South Asia and Australia to the 35th degree of latitude. To the east, their distribution extends to the Solomon Islands.

Special

Morphology

Stingless bees have different defense mechanisms. They defend themselves, for example by biting or by secreting corrosive liquids. The Meliponini belong together with the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), orchid bees ( Euglossini ) and bumble bees ( Bombini ) to the cups foragers ( corbiculaten Apidae ).

Way of life

Like the solitary bees feed is stored only once along with an egg in a cell and then sealed. A Nachfütterung, as it occurs in the honey bee, for example, does not occur.

The path to a productive food source is not displayed with a dance but with scent marks. In the case of Meliponini the flight paths to food sources through secretions from the Labialdrüsen (and not, as originally believed, from the mandibular glands ) are marked.

Australian species

From the Australian wild bees are 14 species without sting. These types have a variety of names, such as Australian native honey bees, native bees, sugar -bag bees or sweet bees.

The stingless Australian species all look very similar. They are small, black with hairy hind legs for the transport of pollen and nectar. For this reason, they are often confused with the Hummel. The two most common types are Trigona carbonaria and Austroplebeia australis, the latter type is smaller and less active. Both species inhabit the area around Brisbane. Because they are harmless to humans, they are often found in the gardens of the suburbs.

Honey production

As the European honey bee ( Apis mellifera ), which provides most of the commercial honey production, stingless bees have to transport an enlarged portion of the rear legs to pollen. These pollen pockets ( corbiculae ) are filled with bright orange or yellow pollen. There will also be collected nectar in an extension of the bowel ( goiter ) is stored. In Stock nectar drops are processed in the mouth by dehydration to honey. The stingless bees store the honey in small aromatic resin vessels. In the warmer areas of Australia stingless bees are used for a small production of honey. In Queensland and northern New South Wales these bees produce more honey than they need for their own needs. Some beekeepers use a niche market with bush honey and stingless bees successfully keep in boxes.

It special methods have been developed in order to gain a useful amount of honey from these bees can. Because of the structure of the hives this honey is difficult to win. For the production of honey these bees must be kept in special boxes that make accessible this honey bearing without destroying the nest structure. In contrast to the commercial honey bees which can produce 75 kg of honey per year, stingless bees produce less than one kilogram of honey per year. This honey has a distinctive taste bush, which is characterized by sweetness and acidity with a hint of lime. This taste comes from plant resins that is used by the bees to build the hives and honey pots, and varies depending on the visited flowers and trees.

Pollination

For pollination of crops Australian farmers are dependent on the European honey bee. However, the native bees are better pollinators for some plants. Stingless bees have been shown to be suitable pollinators of macadamia and mango. However, they also pollinate crops such as strawberry, watermelon, citrus fruit, avocado or lychee. According to studies by the University of Western Sydney (see Aussie Bee, Issue 10 ), these bees for example, suitable for use in greenhouses.

South American species

The majority of native eusocial bees in Central and South America are stingless bees. Few of these bees to produce enough honey to be interesting for beekeeping. These bees are threatened by deforestation, changes in agricultural practices, in particular by insecticides and the introduction of the Africanized honey bee extinction.

Stingless bees of the Maya in Central America

The Maya cultivated the stingless bees Melipona beecheii and Melipona yucatanica intensively for honey production. The traditional Mayan name for Melipona beecheii is Xunan Kab, which literally means Royal Lady. These bees were a symbol of the bee - god Ah Muzen Cab ( known by the Codex Madrid) and were the subject of religious ceremonies. Families had hives at her home.

Also spineless the bees can fight back by biting, similar to a mosquito sting. Traditionally, a wild hive was cultivated. For this, the road was cut around the hive in order to transport it can. The branch was then sealed at both ends with wood or clay and sealed with clay. This did not prevent the bees from mixing their brood, pollen and honey in the comb. The breed is in the middle of the stick and the honey is stored in vessels at the ends of the stick. A removable vessel at these ends allow easy access to the honey without destroying the floor. With proper care, such hives for many years and even generations can be used sustainably. In archaeological excavations of Mesoamerica, stone discs were found to be seen as closures of beehives.

Terms of man

Balche, an alcoholic drink like mead, is made from fermented honey and the bark of the tree Balche ( Lonchocarpus violaceus ). The drink has entheogenic properties, allows mystical experiences in ritual practices and was used as a medicine. The hallucinogenic effect comes from Balche tree or from the honey of the Balche flowers. Toxic and hallucinogenic substances can be found in the collected honey and pollen of certain plant types. The wax casting was also practiced by the Maya. The wax from Melipona is soft and easy to work with, especially in areas with high humidity.

Beekeeping

The number of Melipona beekeepers returns at the expense of productive and easy to proliferating Africanized honey bee ( Apis mellifera). The Melipona beekeepers are mostly old people whose knowledge is not passed on. Several thousand of these beekeepers in the eighties, in 2004, only 70 other hand, there are plants that are not visited by the Africanized honey bee, such as different species of trees and bushes. The pollination of these plants is dependent on the stingless bees. There is therefore a decline native flora in areas where stingless bees has been replaced by the Africanized honey bee. There are efforts to preserve this knowledge (see Issue June 2005, the Bee World ).

African species

The honey of stingless bees is praised in many African societies as a medicine.

Stingless bee species produce honey

• Austroplebia spp.
• Trigona spp. T. carbonaria
• T. hockingsii
• T. iridipennis

• M. beecheii
• M. costaricensis
• M. yucatanica
• M. panamica
• M. fasciata
• M. marginata
• M. compressipes
• M. fuliginosa
• M. favosa