Global Trends on the Research of Plant Resin Use by Stingless Bees (1985–2022) and Apis mellifera (1967–2022): A Bibliometric Analysis

The chemical composition of propolis has a dual plant and animal origin, as it is in pot-honey and pot-pollen, including transformations additionally caused by associated microbes. Colonies of the highly eusocial bee tribes collect resins exuded by plants and use them as structural materials and for immune and defense strategies. Resin exudates are produced by diverse plant tissues, e.g., bark, branches, buds, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, stems, tubers, trunks, or whole plant. This is the first bibliometric study on plant resin use by bees’ research trends. Research on the use of plant resins by stingless bees and Apis mellifera differs; for example, of the 389 documents retrieved from the Scopus database, 74 were on stingless bees (1985–2022) and 315 on Apis mellifera (1967–2022)—the latter has initiated almost 20 years earlier—Two authors were responsible for 34 publications, 15 on stingless bees from Germany and 19 on A. mellifera from Japan. The Journal of Apicultural Research was at the top with five publications on use of plant resins by stingless bee and Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine with eight articles on Apis mellifera. Apparently, only moderate interest was shown on research on plant resins collected by bees compared to research on propolis in general. However, publications increased widely during 2015–2022. Research groups from Brazil, Germany, Australia, Indonesia, and Japan focused more on resin use by stingless bees, whereas those from Brazil, United States, Japan, Turkey, and India focused on resin use by Apis mellifera. The productivity and impact of research on plant resin use by stingless bees and A. mellifera were visualized. Further progress for stingless bees was visually networked in co-author networks and keyword co-occurrence using the bibliometrix software. These networks revealed the researchers’ teams and the main topics researched. Their thematic maps had three motor themes for stingless bees and plant resins, propolis and flavonoids, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities. Conceptual maps and dendrograms of author’s keywords showed topical clusters by factorial analysis. This chapter will serve as a distinctive and impactful contribution to bee scientists focused on the use of plant resin by Apinae.