Stingless Bees of Peru: The Use of Plant Resins, Cerumen, and Propolis

Peru, with a long history of complex and highly developed cultures, has never been the focus for a study of the traditional uses of stingless bee products. We present this through a series of reports in historical travel accounts, including the earliest reference in Europe to New World stingless bees (1553). Most uses involve cerumen, which has been used for candles, for sculpturing, for caulking, and as a water repellent. Today’s use of cerumen is for the beauty industry, artisanal uses, and application by meliponiculturists (stingless bee keepers). We find there was little attempt in the past to manage stingless bees in Peru, as stingless bee colonies were apparently so abundant that it was never necessary.