Stingless bees (SB), sometimes called stingless honey bees or simply meliponines, are a large group of bees (from about 462 to 552 described species),[1][2] comprising the tribe Meliponini[3][4] (or subtribe Meliponina according to other authors).[5] They belong in the family Apidae (subfamily Apinae), and are closely related to common honey bees (HB, tribe Apini), orchid bees (tribe Euglossini), and bumblebees (tribe Bombini). These four bee tribes belong to the corbiculate bees monophyletic group.[6][7] Meliponines have stingers, but they are highly reduced and cannot be used for defense, though these bees exhibit other defensive behaviors and mechanisms.[8][9] Meliponines are not the only type of bee incapable of stinging: all male bees and many female bees of several other families, such as Andrenidae and Megachilidae (tribe Dioxyini), also cannot sting.[10]
Some stingless bees have powerful mandibles and can inflict painful bites.[11][12] Some species can present large mandibular glands for the secretion of caustic defense substances, secrete unpleasant smells or use sticky materials to immobilise enemies.[13][14]
The main honey producing bees of this group generally belong to the genera Scaptotrigona, Tetragonisca, Melipona and Austroplebeia, although there are other genera containing species that produce some usable honey. They are farmed in meliponiculture in the same way that European honey bees (genus Apis) are cultivated in apiculture.
Throughout Mesoamerica, the Mayans have engaged in extensive meliponiculture on a large scale since before the arrival of Columbus. Meliponiculture played a significant role in Maya society, influencing their social, economic, and religious activities. The practice of maintaining stingless bees in man-made structures is prevalent across the Americas, with notable instances in countries such as Brazil, Peru, and Mexico.[15][16]
^Grüter (2020, pp. 46–47)
^Nogueira (2023)
^Michener (2000, p. 803)
^Grüter (2020, p. 1)
^Silveira (2002, p. 253) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFSilveira2002 (help)
^Grüter (2020, p. 43)
^Roubik (1989, p. 8)
^Kajobe (2006)
^Chakuya et al. (2022)
^Michener (2000, p. 111)
^Sarchet (2014)
^Grüter (2020, pp. 7 & 16)
^Grüter (2020, p. 65)
^Grüter (2020, p. 4)
^Grüter (2020, pp. 25–27)
^Villas-Bôas (2018, pp. 14–15) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFVillas-Bôas2018 (help)
Stinglessbees (SB), sometimes called stingless honey bees or simply meliponines, are a large group of bees (from about 462 to 552 described species)...
known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. Some species – including honey bees, bumblebees, and stinglessbees – live socially in...
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a stinglessbee, endemic to the north-east coast of Australia. Its common name is sugarbag bee. They are also occasionally referred to as bush bees. The...
Norhasnida (2020). "Botanical Origin and Nutritional Values of Bee Bread of StinglessBee (Heterotrigona itama) from Malaysia". Journal of Food Quality...
Melipona stinglessbees are also kept. Beekeepers (or apiarists) keep bees to collect honey and other products of the hive: beeswax, propolis, bee pollen...
the same bee. There are many types of eusocial bees, including bumble bees, stinglessbees, some orchid bees, and many species of sweat bees, native to...
Melipona stinglessbee species.[citation needed] Thus economic pressures are forcing beekeepers to switch from the traditional stinglessbees of their...
resin used by the stinglessbee. Honey for human consumption is collected from wild bee colonies, or from the hives of domesticated bees. The honey produced...
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Schwarziana quadripunctata is a small, stinglessbee found in a stretch of the South American Amazon[dubious – discuss] from Goiás, Brazil, through Paraguay...
Melipona is a genus of stinglessbees, widespread in warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Tucumán and Misiones (Argentina)...
Trigona is one of the largest genera of stinglessbees, comprising about 32 species, exclusively occurring in the New World, and formerly including many...
Melipona beecheii is a species of eusocial stinglessbee. It is native to Central America from the Yucatán Peninsula in the north to Costa Rica in the...
species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stinglessbees (also used...
rational farming of stinglessbees (SB), or meliponines (Meliponini tribe), which is different from apiculture (the breeding of bees of the Apis mellifera...
Tetragonisca angustula is a small eusocial stinglessbee found in México, Central and South America. It is known by a variety of names in different regions...
Melipona quadrifasciata is a species of eusocial, stinglessbee of the order Hymenoptera. It is native to the southeastern coastal states of Brazil, where...
native bees in Australia, ranging from small solitary bees to the social stinglessbees. Native bees are important for native ecosystems, providing pollination...
researchers at the University of Queensland found that some species of stinglessbee in Australia, Malaysia, and Brazil produce honey containing between...
Trigona corvina (Cockerell, 1913) is a species of stinglessbee that lives primarily in Central and South America. In Panama, they are sometimes known...
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families of bees, including honey bees, carpenter bees, orchid bees, bumblebees, cuckoo bees, and even stinglessbees. In the past, there has been discussion...
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therefore a stinglessbee. This species is unique among the stinglessbees species because it is polygynous, which is rare for eusocial bees. M. bicolor...
queen" or a "laying worker"). These can be seen in certain species of stinglessbee like the Plebeia remota where both gynes and workers are capable of...
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