Production and Application of Propolis from Five Stingless Bee Species in China

Stingless bees are one of the most important social bees, which play crucial roles in pollination services and produce bee products in tropical areas. There are four genera and 11 species of stingless bees known in China, the northern border of the China-Indo-Australian tropical biome. Like honey bees, stingless bees collect resins from different plants to produce propolis. We observed five species of stingless bees (Lepidotrigona flavibasis, L. terminata, Tetragonula gressitti, T. laeviceps, and T. pagdeni) collect resins from Acacia auriculiformis, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Bismarckia nobilis, Dalbergia hainanensis, Dalbergia odorifera, Dialium guineense, Dracaena cochinchinensis, and Mangifera indica, which in total produced 165 volatile components. The volatile composition of L. flavibasis, L. terminata, T. gressitti, T. laeviceps, and T. pagdeni propolis was also analyzed and compared. Copaene, caryophyllene, humulene, and phenylethyl alcohol were commonly found in most propolis of bees kept in the same meliponary. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified from amber, green, red, white, and yellow propolis in a T. laeviceps nest. Some VOCs were only found in one of the five propolis colors, which indicated that such volatiles can act as chemical markers for plant resins. The defensive functions and potential pharmacological applications of propolis are discussed. Further studies are necessary for chemical fingerprinting and to study the functions of stingless bee propolis from China.