melipiculture

Melipiculture is the practice of keeping stingless bees for honey, wax, propolis, and pollination. Found mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, it encompasses traditional methods and modern beekeeping. The bees are eusocial and generally non-stinging, making them a more approachable option in some communities.

Colonies are smaller than those of honeybees and build wax combs in enclosed spaces such as hollow trunks, clay pots, or purpose-built hives. Management emphasizes gentle handling, selective honey harvesting, and maintaining brood and queen viability to sustain production.

Commonly kept genera include Melipona, Trigona, Tetragonisca, Plebeia, Scaptotrigona, and Partamona. In the Americas, Melipona and Trigona are historically important; in Australia and parts of Asia and Africa, other stingless bees are kept with regional methods.

Products are valued for unique flavors and medicinal uses; honey from stingless bees is typically more viscous and aromatic than that of Apis mellifera. Beyond honey, melipiculture provides pollination services for crops and supports biodiversity in managed landscapes.

Conservation concerns include habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate change, which threaten native colonies. Sustainable melipiculture relies on knowledge of species biology, disease and pest control, and community-based practices that protect wild populations while providing economic benefits to farmers.