Stingless bee nesting biology

Abstract

-Stingless bees diverged since the Cretaceous, have 50 times more species than Apis, and are both distinctive and diverse. Nesting is capitulated by 30 variables but most do not define clades. Both architectural features and behavior decrease vulnerability, and large genera vary in nest habit, architecture and defense. Natural stingless bee colony density is 15 to 1500 km −2 . Symbionts include mycophagic mites, collembolans, leiodid beetles, mutualist coccids, molds, and ricinuleid arachnids. Mutualist bacteria and fungi preserve food and brood provisions. Nest associates include trees, termite, wasp and ant colonies. Ventilation is the means of nest environment regulation, achieved by fanning worker bees. Permanence of stingless bee nests, with annual mortality ca. 13%, implies a colony has 23 years to reproduce. Inability to freely swarm and single mating may all increase nesting specificity, competition, symbiosis and cleptobiosis in communities, while disease is rare.Meliponini / Apidae / nest architecture / nest microclimate / evolutionary ecology

A molecular phylogeny of the stingless bee genus Melipona (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

“…Although the genus has been the focus of behavioral, genetic, ecological, and pollination studies (Roubik, 2006), only partial phylogenetic analyses have been carried out to date (Rego, 1990;Costa et al, 2003;Fernandes-Salomão et al, 2005;Rasmussen and Cameron, 2010). The stingless bee genus Melipona is clustered within the Neotropical Meliponini (Rasmussen and Cameron, 2010), and its monophyly is well supported (Rego, 1990;Costa et al, 2003;Fernandes-Salomão et al, 2005).…”

A new cooling technique for stingless bees hive

“…However, stingless bees produce less honey, and do not use water to cool their nest. [2]. Their hives usually consist of sections of broodcell area, as well as honey pot area.…”

A Preliminary Study on the Thermal Performance of a Ventilated Honey Cassette for Stingless Bees

“…Diversity of stingless bee, especially in Indo-Malayan region makes classifying them is difficult [1]. Although, stingless bees produce honey as honey bee, produced honey is less, and they do not use water to cool their nest [2]. Temperature of hive for more than 34°C causes 0% fertility rate because of the death of pupae in broodcell [3].…”