Development of Meliponine Culture in Cultivated Ecosystems

The part played by pollinators in pollination of economic and wild plants is well recognized. Being native to Asia, stingless bees are more resistant to pest and diseases and sustainable and better pollinators for native plant species in comparison to foreign bees introduced in the tropics. Valuable hive by products provide additional income to the beekeepers. Researches have demonstrated sufficiently that stingless bee propolis have high clinical value and is useful in apitheraphy. Many techniques are being evolved for managing the stingless bees for crop pollination and production of honey, pollen and propolis. There are yet plenty of researchable areas to be explored, such as biology, systematics and product characterization for clinical and industrial uses.