Stingless bee keeping: Biocultural conservation and agroecological education (original) (raw)
Related papers
2017
Meliponiculture, or stingless bee domestication, is an ancient Maya practice that has been at the edge of disappearance in the past 20 years. Thanks to an alarming preoccupation of the future of stingless bees, many conservation programs have been developed in the past decade. This activity disappearance underlined another major issue, the depopulation of rural Mexico in a globalized world. This master thesis is focusing on the cultural, environmental, economic and sustainable aspects of the breeding of native stingless bees in the Yucatan Peninsula region, Mexico. This research consists of understanding the current situation of the (re-) development of meliponiculture in the Yucatan Peninsula-Mexico. By using the Sustainable Livelihood Approach, community and incentive based conservation; the reader will be introduced to a series of historical events that influenced the transition from traditional to modern meliponiculture. One will also see that stingless bees have a primordial role in the preservation of the Mexican biodiversity. Social links between what unite meliponicultors to stingless bees and cultural practices will be explored. Insight on the economic potential of the activity, notably through the variety of deriving products and access to markets will be given. One will also be informed of the role that cooperatives and funds can play in the development of this activity. Finally, the reader will be introduced to other aspects that can foster meliponiculture into a sustainable activity, such as education or ecotourism. Current limitations slowing down the process of implementation of the activity will be explored.
Perceptions of the local beekeepers Xmaben Campeche Mexico20200717 28804 hh31hz
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
Background: The knowledge of native melliferous flora (MF) may contribute to identify the diversity of species available for beekeeping activities during the dry and rainy seasons of the year in the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) region. The acute shortage of food resources considerably reduce local honey production and needs to be addressed appropriately. The objective of this study has been identifying the local MF, their nectar and pollen contribution, their flowering patterns, and the criteria of the vegetation to be established adjacent to local apiaries for stable production of quality honey. The study also investigates how this approach helps to complete the annual flowering cycle required to maintain the honeybee colonies, thereby preventing swarm escapes during periods of acute food stress in the community of Xmabén, Hopelchén, Campeche, Mexico. Methodology: We conducted a comprehensive survey based on interviews with 40 local beekeepers and a review of herbarium specimens (CICY) of the database of the global information network on the native MF biodiversity with high apiculture potential, the contribution of nectar and pollen they provide, and their flowering patterns. Furthermore, we documented interviews with the same beekeepers on the necessary conditions for establishing the ideal components of vegetation in areas adjacent to apiaries for high-quality honey production in the Xmabén community of Hopelchén, Campeche, Mexico. Results: We have identified 56 native MF species with apiculture potential, that need to be planted around the apiaries for assisting honeybees in successfully running the beekeeping production cycle. Hence, the MF diversity of Xmabén community constitutes a valuable resource for successful beekeeping in the region and adjoining localities. We found that 22.5% of local beekeepers are dedicated exclusively to apilcilture, while 77.5% practice it as a secondary activity due to better sources of income in agriculture (60%), masonry (10%), and livestock management (7.5%). The data generated can help in further expansion of the local apiaries, beekeeping business, and in building future opportunities for the local apiculture industry. Indigenous knowledge of the beekeepers was comprehensive and corroborated the technical information on MF collected from the herbarium, further emphasizing the value of indigenous knowledge on traditional beekeeping practices. Conclusion: From the perspective of human ecology, our study reveals the need of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting indigenous knowledge to facilitate traditional beekeeping practices of the region without using expensive, modern technology to solve ecosystem-based problems through long-term, sustainable, traditional, and environment friendly approaches.
Elem Sci Anth
The production of honey for consumption is one of humans’ most intriguing activities in biocultural terms. Studies on Local Ecological Knowledge linked to Apiculture with Apis mellifera (LEKHA) are limited, particularly in Santiago del Estero (northern Argentina). In this work, we compared the LEKHA of beekeeping families in two different landscapes that show distinct socio-ecological characteristics: “rainfed” and “irrigation.” Through semi-structured and free interviews and the construction of local calendars, together with 85% of the beekeepers of these zones, we investigated the LEKHA, honeybee flora and methods of acquisition and transmission of management knowledge and practices. Participants mentioned 96 honeybee flora species (63 in rainfed and 71 in irrigation), mainly native species, which provide with nectar and pollen. The apicultural and floral calendar was similar in these two areas, although the areas differed in the time of year certain activities were carried out an...
Human Ecology, 2020
Local ecological knowledge (LEK) is of utmost importance for biodiversity conservation; however, a number of studies document the loss of LEK regarding native bees. Stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) are important pollinators that have been managed by humans in all tropical areas of the world. Our work documents the decline of Meliponini and associated LEK in the state of Michoacán, western Mexico, as well as local historical management and perceptions of the diversity and abundance of bees. Through ecological sampling, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation, we established the presence of 13 species of Meliponini and recognition of 23 local names. Although stingless bees' pot-honey is harvested directly through extraction of wild nests, local knowledge about bee diversity, behavior, and use can contribute to their conservation. Because of recent access to manufactured products and the scarcity of wild nests, LEK and pot-honey harvest are being abandoned and forgotten in some areas. Maintaining LEK is important in designing sustainable use strategies to prevent the extinction of wild nests and allow conservation of bees as well as the cultural legacy associated with them, essential in the context of a global decline of pollinators.
Recent economic and environmental changes have severely threatened the ancient practice of Maya stingless beekeeping (Meliponiculture). My research in southern Mexico and northern Belize examines the factors that influence the resilience of Yucatec Maya stingless beekeeping where it still exists. The circumstances that surround the survival of this tradition involve a reliance on traditional Maya medical theory and reflect an overarching pattern of conflict and resistance that exists between indigenous subsistence and western capitalistic economies. Understanding the cultural context of stingless bee honey is critical for examining the implications of commercialization. Of special interest are the changing gender roles involved in meliponiculture.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2014
Background: The Quilombola communities of Ipiranga and Gurugi, located in Atlantic Rainforest in Southern of Paraíba state, have stories that are interwoven throughout time. The practice of meliponicultura has been carried out for generations in these social groups and provides an elaborate ecological knowledge based on native stingless bees, the melliferous flora and the management techniques used. The traditional knowledge that Quilombola have of stingless bees is of utmost importance for the establishment of conservation strategies for many species. Methods: To deepen study concerning the ecological knowledge of the beekeepers, the method of participant observation together with structured and semi-structured interviews was used, as well as the collection of entomological and botanical categories of bees and plants mentioned. With the aim of recording the knowledge related to meliponiculture previously exercised by the residents, the method of the oral story was employed.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2019
Background: The knowledge of native melliferous flora (MF) may contribute to identify the diversity of species available for beekeeping activities during the dry and rainy seasons of the year in the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) region. The acute shortage of food resources considerably reduce local honey production and needs to be addressed appropriately. The objective of this study has been identifying the local MF, their nectar and pollen contribution, their flowering patterns, and the criteria of the vegetation to be established adjacent to local apiaries for stable production of quality honey. The study also investigates how this approach helps to complete the annual flowering cycle required to maintain the honeybee colonies, thereby preventing swarm escapes during periods of acute food stress in the community of Xmabén, Hopelchén, Campeche, Mexico. Methodology: We conducted a comprehensive survey based on interviews with 40 local beekeepers and a review of herbarium specimens (CICY) of the database of the global information network on the native MF biodiversity with high apiculture potential, the contribution of nectar and pollen they provide, and their flowering patterns. Furthermore, we documented interviews with the same beekeepers on the necessary conditions for establishing the ideal components of vegetation in areas adjacent to apiaries for high-quality honey production in the Xmabén community of Hopelchén, Campeche, Mexico. Results: We have identified 56 native MF species with apiculture potential, that need to be planted around the apiaries for assisting honeybees in successfully running the beekeeping production cycle. Hence, the MF diversity of Xmabén community constitutes a valuable resource for successful beekeeping in the region and adjoining localities. We found that 22.5% of local beekeepers are dedicated exclusively to apilcilture, while 77.5% practice it as a secondary activity due to better sources of income in agriculture (60%), masonry (10%), and livestock management (7.5%). The data generated can help in further expansion of the local apiaries, beekeeping business, and in building future opportunities for the local apiculture industry. Indigenous knowledge of the beekeepers was comprehensive and corroborated the technical information on MF collected from the herbarium, further emphasizing the value of indigenous knowledge on traditional beekeeping practices. Conclusion: From the perspective of human ecology, our study reveals the need of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting indigenous knowledge to facilitate traditional beekeeping practices of the region without using expensive, modern technology to solve ecosystem-based problems through long-term, sustainable, traditional, and environment friendly approaches.
Summary Traditional tropical agriculture often entails a form of slash-and-burn land management that may adversely affect ecosystem services such as pollination, which are required for successful crop yields. The Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico has a >4000 year history of traditional slash-and-burn agriculture, termed ‘milpa’. Hot ‘Habanero’ chilli is a major pollinator-dependent crop that nowadays is often grown in monoculture within the milpa system. We studied 37 local farmers’ chilli fields (sites) to evaluate the effects of landscape composition on bee communities. At 11 of these sites, we undertook experimental pollination treatments to quantify the pollination of chilli. We further explored the relationships between landscape composition, bee communities and pollination service provision to chilli. Bee species richness, particularly species of the family Apidae, was positively related to the amount of forest cover. Species diversity decreased with increasing proportion of crop land surrounding each sampling site. Sweat bees of the genus Lasioglossum were the most abundant bee taxon in chilli fields and, in contrast to other bee species, increased in abundance with the proportion of fallow land, gardens and pastures which are an integral part of the milpa system. There was an average pollination shortfall of 21% for chilli across all sites; yet the shortfall was unrelated to the proportion of land covered by crops. Rather, chilli pollination was positively related to the abundance of Lasioglossum bees, probably an important pollinator of chilli, as well indirectly to the proportion of fallow land, gardens and pastures that promote Lasioglossum abundance. Synthesis and applications. Current, low-intensity traditional slash-and-burn (milpa) agriculture provides Lasioglossum spp. pollinators for successful chilli production – fallow land, gardens and pasture therefore need to be valued as important habitats for these and related ground-nesting bee species. However, the negative impact of agriculture on total bee species diversity highlights how agricultural intensification is likely to reduce pollination services to crops, including chilli. Indeed, natural forest cover is vital in tropical Yucatán to maintain a rich assemblage of bee species and the provision of pollination services for diverse crops and wild flowers.
Stingless Bee Keeping as an Occupational Hobby and Sustainable Agrotourism in Cuba : A Case Study
2021
The development of tourism as one of the strongest economic sectors in Cuba during the last 3 decades has traditionally focused on beach tourism and in a least extend rural tourism. More recently, however, sustainable agriculture has been gathering attention and rural Agrotourism has emerged as a result. Stingless beekeeping is an agricultural practice that has been neglected in these transformations of the Cuban economy. Here, however, we review a successful case where the use of stingless bees initially kept as a hobby has allowed traditional farmlands to gradually shift to more sustainable agricultural practices while at the same time offering touristic opportunities not available elsewhere in the region around them.