Management practices and honey characteristics of Melipona eburnea in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

Meliponiculture and associated honey production are activities with a great potential for general use and commercialization in the Peruvian Amazon. Lack of management techniques and limited knowledge of honey quality are two factors which may hinder the implementation of meliponiculture. The present study was conducted in three communities in the Peruvian Amazon where the production and physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of honey from Melipona eburnea were evaluated at 90 days following transfer from natural to rational hives. Honey from M. eburnea was also compared with the 90-day-old honey from Melipona grandis, Melipona illota, and Melipona titania. In addition, 180-day-old honey from M. eburnea was sampled and compared with the younger 90-day-old honey. The production of honey varied from 900 to 1400 mL/colony/3 months for M. eburnea. When moisture and total sugars among the different species of Melipona were compared, no significant differences were observed. Neither were there significant differences between the M. eburnea honey at 90 and 180 days of maturation. Microbiological analyses for both treatments had values <0.3/g most probable number (MPN) of coliforms and organisms of fecal origin. Stingless bee honey can therefore be harvested after 3 months, by which time its physicochemical characteristics are stable and it is microbiologically suitable for human consumption.

Primeiro registro sobre aspectos biológicos e comportamentais de rainhas virgens de Melipona (Michmelia) eburnea Friese 1900 (Meliponini: Apidae: Hymenoptera)

“…Algumas pesquisas realizadas com M. eburnea têm contribuído para aumentar o conhecimento sobre sua produção de mel, ecologia, comportamento (divisão de trabalho) e biologia (Bustamante, 2006;Nates-Parra & Rodriguez C., 2011;Correia, et al, 2017a, b;Amaya-Márquez et al 2019;Delgado, et al, 2020;Grüter, 2020), mas são praticamente inexistentes observações sobre a biologia e comportamento das suas rainhas virgens dentro das colônias, tornando este trabalho inédito e relevante para o avanço do conhecimento destes Meliponinos.…”

Pollen preferences of stingless bees in the Amazon region and southern highlands of Ecuador by scanning electron microscopy and morphometry

“…In the tropical zone of America more than 500 species [ 1 ] of stingless bees plays an important role as pollinators in maintaining the forest diversity [ 21 ] ensuring its reproduction thanks to the dispersion of pollen [ 22 ]. Moreover, stingless bees also maintain the stability of economically important crops in agroforestry projects [ 23 , 24 ] and help to reestablish the ecological balance in invaded endemic areas [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Estudo pioneiro sobre a biologia e etologia de machos de duas espécies de Melipona Illiger 1806 (Meliponini: Apidae: Hymenoptera)

“…Das espécies da Amazônia que se tem pouco ou nenhum conhecimento sobre a biologia e etologia dos machos aqui tratamos destes nas espécies M. eburnea Friese, 1900 que é popularmente conhecida como "uruçu-beiço" (pela entrada do ninho ser parecida com o contorno da boca humana) e M. s. merrillae Cockerell, 1920 nomeada de "jandaira alaranjada da Amazônia" ou "uruçu-boca-de-renda" (pela entrada do ninho se parecer com um tecido delicado feito de fio ou linha em um padrão aberto em forma de teia) (Moure & Kerr, 1950;Nogueira-Neto, 1997;Correia & Peruquetti, 2017). A distribuição geográfica de M. eburnea abrange Bolívia, Colômbia, Equador, Peru, Venezuela e Brasil (Camargo & Pedro, 2013;Pedro, 2014;Correia, 2016;Ascher & Pickering, 2020;Delgado et al, 2020;Costa et al, 2021); enquanto que M. s. merrillae tem sido reportada nos estados de Acre (AC), Amazonas (AM), Maranhão (MA), Mato grosso (MT), Pará (PA), Rondônia (RO), Roraima (RR) e Tocantins (TO) (Imperatriz-Fonseca & Alves, 2020;Ascher & Pickering, 2020). No Amazonas, M. s. merrillae está circunscrita ao norte e sul de Manaus até Paricatuba no baixo Rio Purus, seguindo o Rio Negro, Camanaú e Curiaú e no Acre até Rio Branco (Moure & Kerr, 1950;Aguilera-Peralta, 1999;Pedro, 2014;Demeterco et al, 2019).…”