PRODUCING HONEY TO PROTECT TROPICAL FORESTS IN ECUADOR

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE STINGLESS BEE?

Unlike the commonly known honeybee (Apis mellifera), native stingless bees, or tribe Meliponini, are a tropical forest bee species that have a stunted stinger, but that doesn’t stop them from producing delicious honey and supporting important ecological processes in tropical forests.

In Ecuador, more than 200 species of native stingless bees have been identified, 89 of which are concentrated in the tropical forests of southern Ecuador. However, their habitats are in danger due to the felling of trees in the area.

To prevent these important pollinators from facing extinction, the Commonwealth of Meliponiculturist in the South of Ecuador hosted the First Festival of Native Bees. In this experience-sharing event, bee experts from Ecuador and Peru exchanged innovative meliponiculture processes to optimize the honey harvest and protect native bees.

”Bees have always lived here, since the beginning of time they’ve lived freely in the field. But now, we house them in little boxes to protect them from the trees being cut down”, said one of the meliponiculturists, “planting blooming trees like orange, lime, or coffee, restores their natural habitat and enhances the production of honey,” she added.

The festival was part of Nature and Culture’s initiative to protect and restore 176.26 acres of tropical forests as part of the management strategy of the Municipal Puyango Reserve, in the Biosphere Reserve Bosque Seco by improving the production and commercialization of honey from 13 types of native bees.

“Through this process, 326 households have received technical support to continue practicing meliponiculture while pursuing the conservation of the Bosque Seco Biosphere Reserve”, said Bruno Paladines, Nature and Culture Bosque Seco Mosaic Coordinator.

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