CONOCIMIENTO ECOLÓGICO TRADICIONAL DE ABEJAS SIN AGUIJÓN EN ECOSISTEMAS INUNDABLES Y DE TURBERAS DE UNA COMUNIDAD URARINA EN LORETO, PERÚ

Stingless bees are important pollinators in tropical and subtropical areas. The breeding of native stingless bee species from the Meliponini tribe to obtain honey, pollen, and geopropolis (meliponiculture) is a promising activity in Brazil with economic, social, and environmental impacts. Stingless bees can share food sources with Apis mellifera and other insects that can be vectors of pathogens. Here, we investigated seven stingless bee species from Brazil (Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides, Melipona scutellaris, Nannotrigona testaceicornis, Partamona helleri, Scaptotrigona xanthotricha, Tetragonisca angustula, and Trigona spinipes) screening for seven of the most common pathogenic viruses (ABPV, IAPV, BQCV, CBPV, SBV, KBV, and DWV) in A. mellifera in summer and winter seasons. All seven stingless bee species studied were positive for ABPV and IAPV (only in M. quadrifasciata anthidioides and T. spinipes), while ABPV was found in samples from summer and winter, IAPV was only found in winter. This is the first study detecting viruses in seven native stingless bee species in Brazil and because of the novelty of this area in Brazil, it is necessary to monitor native stingless bee colonies to investigate the impact of those viruses at a colony and individual level to avoid losses and impact to the native bees.

The highly eusocial bee community of the neotropical Atlantic Rainforest was studied at Boracéia Biological Station in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. In this reserve, 17 species of stingless bees and the introduced Africanized honey bee were found, the latter being the most abundant flower visitor. Of all flowering plants, Asteraceae and Myrtaceae were particularly important as resources for bees. Trophic niche overlap between the various species of stingless bees is evident, and it was generally larger within the tribes Meliponini and Trigonini than between members of different tribes. Nevertheless, in the stingless bee community the competitive pressure is rather uniformly spread. The trophic niche of the Africanized honey bee can be positioned between those of Meliponini and Trigonini. Today this introduced species represents the main competitor in this bee community. However, its impact on native stingless bee populations is apparently buffered by mass-flowering trees which are the most important food plants of the indigenous highly eusocial bees.

Functional orthologs of honeybee CYP6AQ1 in stingless bees degrade the butenolide insecticide flupyradifurone

Existen más de 20 000 especies de abejas, solo 5% son sociales, dentro de estás se encuentra la tribu Meliponini, para México se reportan 46 especies de abejas nativas sin aguijón (Arnold et al., 2018). Estas abejas nativas desempeñan tareas fundamentales ya que son grandes polinizadores, se encargan del mantenimiento y equilibrio del ecosistema. Actualmente existen evidencias sobre los efectos negativos hacia las abejas por las diversas acciones del hombre que han ocasionado la disminución de estas, entre ellos se destacan la agricultura tradicional y la extracción de nidos silvestres. El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar las especies de abejas nativas y su relación biocultural con la comunidad de Peña Flor de Clavo, Santa Lucía Monteverde, Oaxaca, donde se aplicaron entrevistas semi-estructuradas a los pobladores para conocer las especies de abejas nativas, las fuentes de alimentación, los conocimientos, usos y prácticas de manejo local. Se identificaron un total de 11 especies de abejas sin aguijón y 10 géneros, localmente se reconocen ocho especies las cuales son: Frieseomelitta nigra, Geotrigona acapulconis, Melipona fasciata, Nannotrigona perilampoides, Scaptotrigona hellwegeri, Trigona fulviventris, Partamona bilineata y Trigonisca pipioli y se desconocen tres especies.

There is historical traditional use of stingless bee honey (SBH). However, no information concerning composition and antimicrobial properties of SBHs from Sudan was reported. Thus, the paper was aimed to focus on the components of the nests and honey characteristics of three species of stingless bee. Proximate analysis showed similar composition, except protein and ash were significantly (p > 0.01) different. Meliplebeia beccarii honey contained more protein 5.31% and slightly more ash 1.01% than the other species. Antibacterial activity was determined by cup-plate agar diffusion; Hypotrigona squamuligera and M. beccarii were more active against Staphylococcus aureus. None of the Studied SBHs showed activity against Escherichia coli, Apergillus niger, and Candida albicans. Anti-parasite activity as determined by sub-culture method showed that “almost all” SBHs have similar activities against trophozoites of Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica with statistically significant differences when compared to the untreated control. The amount of honey produced by M. beccarii varied from 100 to 150 ml per nest while honey produced by Hypotrigona ruspolii and H. squamuligera varied from 500 to 1000 ml/colony/year. Results also showed different nest architecture and components (entrance, brood areas, honey pots, and pollen pots) as indication for existence of many taxa of Meliponini in Sudan.

Insect pollination has been reported to have a better yield quality and quantity than artificial pollination. Wild bees, including stingless bees contribute to effective and efficient pollination on okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.: Malvaceae). However, previously no report about okra pollination by native Indonesian stingless bees, which can be potential as pollinators. Therefore, this research aims to compare foraging activities of three species of stingless bees (Heterotrigona itama, Tetragonula laeviceps, and T. clypearis) on okra plants and fruits quality and quantity parameters among four pollination treatments (three stingless bee species and without pollinator). Four cages with 50 okra plants were used for pollination treatments. The foraging observation of different stingless bee species on okra was conducted in the cages, and the okra yield from each treatment was compared. Our results showed the foraging activities of three stingless bee species were higher in the morning than those in the afternoon. In the morning, the number of visits of T. clypearis and T. laeviceps were negatively correlated with visit duration. The current study also showed that size and weight of pod, the number of seeds, and the percentage of fruit set of okra were enhanced by pollination of three stingless bee species. Unfortunately, the pollination of stingless bee species did not affect the seed germination and flavonoid content of fruits. The native of Indonesian stingless bees are good pollinators to improve pod quality and quantity.

The stingless bees are very diverse in the tropics and subtropics of the world, consisting of nearly 600 species. Their morphological, biological, and behavioral traits make many of them efficient crop pollinators. Currently, field research has documented stingless bees as field crop pollinators in 12 tropical countries worldwide. More than 25 species are known to contribute significantly to pollination in 14 economically important crops. The most common stingless bee species belong to Melipona and/or some of the genus previously including in Trigona genus. Until now studies of stingless bee pollination in enclosed or greenhouse conditions have been conducted in eight countries and focused on ten crops. Fourteen stingless bee species have been used most often in these studies, mostly from the genera Melipona, Nannotrigona, Scaptotrigona, and Trigona. In most of these studies, the evaluated stingless bee species were found to be efficient crop pollinators both in field crops and greenhouses. The use of local native stingless bees as pollinators is promising since in some instances they are more efficient than honeybees; it avoids disease propagation between introduced and native species and reduces the risk of the establishment of exotic species and the displacement of native ones. It is clear that investigation is needed for conservation and management of stingless bees and the importance of habitat management to preserve local stingless bee populations.

The Maya of the Yucatan region have a long history of keeping the native stingless bees (subfamily Meliponinae). However, market forces in the last two decades have driven the Maya to favor the use of invasive Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata) for producing large quantities of high quality honey which has an international market. Furthermore, the native bees traditionally used by the Maya are now disappearing, along with the practice of keeping them.\nAn interdisciplinary approach was taken in order to determine the social factors behind the decrease in stingless beekeeping and the ecological driving forces behind their disappearance from the wild. Social research methods included participant observation with stingless beekeepers, Apis beekeepers, and marketing intermediaries. Ecological research methods included point observations of commonly known melliferous and polliniferous plants along transects in three communities with different degrees of human induced ecosystem disturbance.\nThe stingless bee species most important to the Maya, Melipona beecheii, has become extremely rare, and this has caused a breakdown of stingless beekeeping tradition, compounded with the pressure of the market economy, which fuels Apis beekeeping and has lessened the influence of traditional practices. The community with the heaviest amount of human induced ecosystem disturbance also had the lowest degree of bee diversity, while the area with the most intact ecosystem had the highest diversity of stingless bees, though Apis mellifera was still the dominant species. Aggressive competitive behavior involving physical attacks by Apis mellifera against stingless bees was observed on several occasions, and this is a new observation previously unreported by science. Human induced disturbance of the ecosystem and competition with the Africanized honey bee are affecting the diversity and abundance of various bee species.

Pot-pollen from four species of indigenous Thai stingless bees (Lepidotrigona flavibasis, Lepidotrigona terminata, Tetragonula laeviceps species complex, and Tetragonula testaceitarsis) was examined for nutritional composition including macronutrients, mineral content, fatty acids, and amino acids. The results for macronutrients are similar to previous pollen analyses done on pollen stored by the western honey bee Apis mellifera, a species which has dominated research in nutritional studies of pollen. A caveat is that total protein of pot-pollen is somewhat lower than that reported for A. mellifera. Our results for mineral content exhibit interspecific similarities and are within the parameters of known pollen mineral content. For fatty acid and amino acid analyses, we utilized only the stingless bee species T. laeviceps species complex. Total unsaturated fatty acids were more prevalent (3.66 ± 0.18 g/100 g) than total saturated (2.30 ± 0.59 g/100 g). Twenty amino acids were identified, of which 9 are essential and 11 classified as nonessential. Lysine was the most prevalent individual amino acid. The botanical sources were heterofloral and dominated by four pollen types of the genera Cocos, Acacia, Trema, and Tapirira.

Brazilian stingless bee honey: Physicochemical properties and aliphatic organic acids content

Beekeeping has become an economic alternative for the inhabitants of rural communities in the San Martin region of Peru. This article aimed to evaluate the quality profile of honey samples from two native stingless bees produced in San Martin. In this study, the 2A x 2B factorial experiment was applied, considering two rural districts (Yantalo and San Roque de Cumbaza) and two species of native stingless bees (Melipona eburnea and Tetragonisca angustula). The analysis of reducing sugars was carried out using the HPLC method and the soluble solids were determined by means of a table refractometer, while the sensory analysis was carried out considering the following attributes: color, humidity, intensity of aroma, aroma and aftertaste flavor. Regarding the sensory evaluation, honey samples from both species were accepted, although differences were identified. In San Roque de Cumbaza, M. eburnea honey was described as sweeter and in Yantalo, T. angustula honey was described as sweet and sour. In addition, in relation to the quality of the honey samples, the results show that the parameters established by current legislation for Apis mellifera are not adequate for some variables analyzed, being necessary to standardize the guidelines for honey from native stingless bees in our country. country.

Melon Manis Terengganu (MMT) is a newly developed melon cultivar that is exclusively planted in Terengganu and has monoecious flowers where female and male parts are in different flowers of the same plant. Current practise for MMT pollination mainly depends on humans by hand-cross pollination treatment. However, until now little study on the potential of stingless bees as pollinator for greenhouse MMT has been documented in Malaysia. In this study, two species of stingless bees, Heterotrigona itama and Geniotrigona thoracica were placed with the MMT in the greenhouse. This study is aimed to investigate and compare the quality of MMT produced by four different pollination treatments; (1) self-pollination, (2) hand-cross pollination, (3) H. itama pollination and (4) G. thoracica pollination. Two hives of each stingless bee species were placed into the greenhouse at least two days before the MMT flowers bloomed. MMT produced from pollination by both stingless bee species and hand-cross pollination were significantly heavier in fresh weight, larger in diameter, higher in total soluble solid (TSS), and greater number of seeds per fruit compared to those produced from self-pollination. Pollination by stingless bees reached fruits with higher sweetness than hand-cross pollination and self-pollination. Results revealed that the stingless bee pollination on MMT production was similar to the MMT produced from hand-cross pollination. This study provides essential information on the potential of native stingless bees, H.itama and G. thoracica which can be effective pollinators for the MMT grown in the greenhouse besides manual pollination.

The stingless bee, Lepidotrigona arcifera, which was first reported in northeast India is a pollinating insect of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. However, little information about this species is known in terms of taxonomic status as well as detailed morphological characteristics. In this study, we discovered a stingless bee in Tibet that belongs to an Alpine climate region. The morphological comparison with the India stingless bee, confirms that this newly discovered species is L. arcifera from the Tibet plateau. To determine the taxonomic status of this Tibetan stingless bee, we sequenced the 16S rRNA and COI genes of samples from a dozen colonies and compared them to some other known bee species. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Tibetan L. arcifera is grouped with the other stingless bee species and most closely sistered to the stingless bee, L. flavibasis. The genetic distance between Tibetan L. arcifera and the other stingless bee species is approaching those between pairwise bee species belonging to other such bee genera as Bombus and Apis. Hence, our results not only offer new information on species distribution and morphological characteristics of L. arcifera but also confirm its taxonomic status among stingless bees for the first time, which will contribute to understanding the biodiversity of stingless bees in the future.

The western Tanzanian miombo landscape has a high potential for honey production, but little is known about the distinctive properties of honey produced in this region. This study assessed the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of honey harvested from honey bees (Apis mellifera) and four stingless bee species (Hypotrigona gribodoi, Hypotrigona ruspolii, Meliponula ferruginea and Plebeina armata) in the dry miombo vegetation in western Tanzania. The results revealed substantial variations in honey properties among the studied bee species. Notably, the honey produced by H. ruspolii exhibited low moisture content comparable to that of A. mellifera, a characteristic that is rare in stingless bee honey. Honey samples from three stingless bee species had reducing sugars below the minimum limit of 50 g/100g specified in the East African standards. Stingless bee honey demonstrated significantly higher levels of total flavonoid content (32.04–55.04 mg QE/100 g), total phenolic content (58.00–100.18 mg GAE/100 g), ascorbic acid (11.93–18.17 mg/100 g), DPPH radical scavenging activity (45.57–66.22%) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (72.72–111.73 μmol Fe(II)/100g) compared to A. mellifera honey, which had values of 28.13 mg QE/100 g, 43.86 mg GAE/100 g, 9.60 mg/100 g, 39.19% and 65.62 μmol Fe(II)/100g, respectively. This suggests that stingless bee honey possesses a high antioxidant potential, indicating possible therapeutic applications. We recommend the establishment of quality standards that reflect the variations among stingless bee species and encourage future research into the unique bioactive compounds in stingless bee honey to maximize its therapeutic potential.

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