Poll

Do you practice or plan to practice meliponiculture?

Yes - Commercially for Pollination and honey
Yes - Commercially for Pollination only
Yes - Personally for Pollination and honey
Yes - Personally for Pollination only
No - Don't think it's necessary
No - Was unaware, would like to keep
No - have apiculture
Others  - Please comment down

Author Topic: Poll: Meliponiculture  (Read 4626 times)

shafak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 291
    • India, Chennai 13°N 80°E Köppen: Aw Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
    • View Profile
Poll: Meliponiculture
« on: February 10, 2016, 07:08:35 PM »
As meliponiculture involves tropical regions and since this forum is for tropical fruits,  I was wondering how many of the members here actively practice this?  I specifically mentioned melipona species  (Stingless bees) as these cannot tolerate temperate zones.  Meliponiculture is a win win situation for the bees as well as the keeper.  There is the double benefit of increased fruit yield due to pollination as well as a good source of unadultrated medical honey.  And best of all, no stings.

Though I don't have much plants in my home garden,  I have 3 colonies of the local Stingless bees - Tetragonula iridipennis and am sure other members from Kerala, Australia  and S. America would be practicing it as these are areas where melipona bees exist naturally.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2016, 06:44:25 AM by guardian123abc »

DimplesLee

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 487
  • frustrated permie
    • PHL&AUS
    • View Profile
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2016, 07:14:57 PM »
We were told that stingless bees are good if you are a beginner as it takes the pain out of any mishandling but that the honey production of Kiwot (Trigonas) is lower than apis cerana.

Phl Govt giving away colonies of both types for free to boost Coconut pollination which translates to increased copra production.
Diggin in dirt and shifting compost - gardeners crossfit regime :)

Don

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 640
    • Brisbane Australia zone 10b
    • View Profile
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2016, 08:47:16 PM »
Plan too get some when I move in July as where I am now there are not that many honey bees around any more. Have e. candolleana like a furry white tree covered in flowers and not a bee to be seen.

Finca La Isla

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2124
    • Costa Rica, Southern Caribbean coast
    • View Profile
    • finca la isla
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2016, 08:54:02 PM »
Yes, we rely on melipona bees for lots of pollinating.  they really do the job with introduced species like salak.  On the forum I read about people having to hand pollinate flowers of fruits that always seem to get pollinated by nature here and in many cases it is the melipona bees.
Peter

druss

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 585
    • australia
    • View Profile
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2016, 09:06:04 PM »
Oscar posted this once:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKbtihBdjAI

Id like to try them but they're only above the Kennedy ranges and aqis had movement controls on them.

shafak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 291
    • India, Chennai 13°N 80°E Köppen: Aw Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
    • View Profile
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2016, 08:36:23 AM »
We were told that stingless bees are good if you are a beginner as it takes the pain out of any mishandling but that the honey production of Kiwot (Trigonas) is lower than apis cerana.

Phl Govt giving away colonies of both types for free to boost Coconut pollination which translates to increased copra production.

Actually, it's not true, DimplesLee.  As a beginner, I used to keep apis cerana and I was only stung once due to my carelessness.  And, I never used a bee veil or smoker with them.  The colony abandoned the box due to frequent disturbance from ants.  Stingless bee don't just up and fly away.  BTW, Which species of stingless bees is the govt giving away?

shafak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 291
    • India, Chennai 13°N 80°E Köppen: Aw Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
    • View Profile
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2016, 08:37:38 AM »
Yes, we rely on melipona bees for lots of pollinating.  they really do the job with introduced species like salak.  On the forum I read about people having to hand pollinate flowers of fruits that always seem to get pollinated by nature here and in many cases it is the melipona bees.
Peter

Please specify the species of melipona bee you rely on, Peter.  Are they feral or boxed colonies?

shafak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 291
    • India, Chennai 13°N 80°E Köppen: Aw Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
    • View Profile
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2016, 08:39:10 AM »
Oscar posted this once:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKbtihBdjAI

Id like to try them but they're only above the Kennedy ranges and aqis had movement controls on them.

I have seen many seed and plant sellers from Australia who won't or cannot post to certain parts within the country itself.  Why is there such restrictions within a single country?

DimplesLee

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 487
  • frustrated permie
    • PHL&AUS
    • View Profile
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2016, 09:27:14 AM »
Trigona biroi if I remember correctly. There is another one native to a diff part of the country can't remember which.

We were told that stingless bees are good if you are a beginner as it takes the pain out of any mishandling but that the honey production of Kiwot (Trigonas) is lower than apis cerana.

Phl Govt giving away colonies of both types for free to boost Coconut pollination which translates to increased copra production.

Actually, it's not true, DimplesLee.  As a beginner, I used to keep apis cerana and I was only stung once due to my carelessness.  And, I never used a bee veil or smoker with them.  The colony abandoned the box due to frequent disturbance from ants.  Stingless bee don't just up and fly away.  BTW, Which species of stingless bees is the govt giving away?
« Last Edit: February 11, 2016, 09:42:12 AM by DimplesLee »
Diggin in dirt and shifting compost - gardeners crossfit regime :)

DimplesLee

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 487
  • frustrated permie
    • PHL&AUS
    • View Profile
Re: Meliponiculture
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2016, 09:37:15 AM »
Oz being almost as large as the US mainland and the climate almost as diverse (almost coz we don't have extreme winters) disease and pest control is top concern witness the fusarium TR4 which hit QLD, NT, NSW - the state and territory govts are just trying to keep any problems from spreading across the entire commonwealth. Which is why NT and WA are now behind a green curtain.

I believe the US has similar restrictions for various animals/plant materials crossing specific state lines so our tendency for drastic measures isn't that unusual.

Oscar posted this once:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKbtihBdjAI

Id like to try them but they're only above the Kennedy ranges and aqis had movement controls on them.

I have seen many seed and plant sellers from Australia who won't or cannot post to certain parts within the country itself.  Why is there such restrictions within a single country?
« Last Edit: February 11, 2016, 01:38:40 PM by DimplesLee »
Diggin in dirt and shifting compost - gardeners crossfit regime :)

druss

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 585
    • australia
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2016, 03:59:58 PM »
The ranges act like a physical barrier, much like the desert in the middle of australia. There is significantly different flora and fauna on esch side. The southern side has a couple hundred species of bees, they are all solitary, living in the ground  or holes in trees etc. Some Of these only pollinate certain plants and the competition from the introduction of the honey bee has pushed them to the edge. One concern is the introduction of another efficient bee species could wipe out a few native ones. 

Finca La Isla

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2124
    • Costa Rica, Southern Caribbean coast
    • View Profile
    • finca la isla
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2016, 05:51:59 PM »
For a long time we have intended to manage melapona bees in hives, harvest some honey, etc. But it's one of the things we still haven't managed to accomplish yet. There are a plethora of different stingless bees here. The most useful is one that I can't remember the name of.  It is known for having a
tubular entrance to its hive. Our farm has sections of forest throughout so these guys are pretty much everywhere. There are other stingless bees that are pests, they eat new leaves and flowers on citrus for instance.
Peter

Luisport

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3210
  • New in tropical fruit growing!
    • Fatima, Portugal
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2016, 05:58:53 PM »
Hi! This is not for Europe right?  ???

shafak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 291
    • India, Chennai 13°N 80°E Köppen: Aw Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2016, 02:11:56 AM »
Thanks for enlightening me about the Australian doubt.  Australian members could get more useful information at this group https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ANBees/info

Luisport, these are tropical bees, but I have read articles before about these being imported into Japan to pollinate greenhouse crops.  So, I don't see any problem in you trying, provided it is allowed in your country.

Luisport

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3210
  • New in tropical fruit growing!
    • Fatima, Portugal
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2016, 06:04:28 AM »
Thanks for enlightening me about the Australian doubt.  Australian members could get more useful information at this group https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ANBees/info

Luisport, these are tropical bees, but I have read articles before about these being imported into Japan to pollinate greenhouse crops.  So, I don't see any problem in you trying, provided it is allowed in your country.
Ok, thank you!  :)

Grapebush

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 344
    • Portugal, Madeira Island, Funchal, 11
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #15 on: February 12, 2016, 08:15:23 PM »
These bees, are normaly smaller than the Appis genus right???

Can anyone tell me if these are stingless bees? They're about 1cm long.





Life is all about learning, but sometimes, the more you learn, the less you seem to know...

shafak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 291
    • India, Chennai 13°N 80°E Köppen: Aw Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #16 on: February 15, 2016, 11:53:54 PM »
These bees, are normaly smaller than the Appis genus right???

Can anyone tell me if these are stingless bees? They're about 1cm long.


I'm no expert,  but it looks like apis bee.  Did you take the pictures in Portugal yourself or are they pictures taken from the net?

professor

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 23
    • Costa Rica Guanacaste
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #17 on: July 03, 2019, 11:00:29 PM »
For a long time we have intended to manage melapona bees in hives, harvest some honey, etc. But it's one of the things we still haven't managed to accomplish yet. There are a plethora of different stingless bees here. The most useful is one that I can't remember the name of.  It is known for having a
tubular entrance to its hive. Our farm has sections of forest throughout so these guys are pretty much everywhere. There are other stingless bees that are pests, they eat new leaves and flowers on citrus for instance.
Peter

Hello Peter,  I know this is an old post, however the bees you are referring to that make the tiny wax tube entrances are the the tiny stingless Mariola bees (Tetragonisca angustula) and I have been raising two hives of these for the past two years here in Costa Rica in simple open space wooden boxes.  Honey yield for these bees is 800- 1000ml/year normally harvested in April each year.  This year I built 6 professional wood hives specific for these bees having 5 frames in them and I split my two hives into four hives.  I have also just set out 22 swarm traps to catch more of these bees, however I was wondering if anyone here knows if these Mariola bees will swarm in the rainy season since their food source is decreasing or if I will only be able to catch them in the dry season?

Thanks, professor.   

Ulfr

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 336
    • Brisbane Australia
    • View Profile
    • Practical Primate
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #18 on: July 04, 2019, 06:45:23 AM »
Interesting older thread. Sorry can’t answer your question professor but that is a similar yield to what I get here (though I don’t usually take honey as it slows hive propagation). I keep Tetragonula hockingsi and T. carbonaria.

Here they swarm in the spring but we don’t have a real wet season (though do get most of our rain in summer) and have a definite winter.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2019, 06:47:25 AM by Ulfr »

pvaldes

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 134
    • Spain
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #19 on: July 04, 2019, 07:25:59 AM »
Meliponiculture is (most probably) forbiden in Europe. Would be only possible in Mediterranean countries or in a greenhouse, but by law you can't neither import nor release non-native species that could interfere with our native bees in EU.

Melipona bees can't sting, but take in mind that they can (and will) bite instead if necessary. Some species in the same family can secrete formic acid also in their bite, like ants.

They really can't compete with Apis in production (and Melipona honey extraction is more messy than in Apis).
« Last Edit: July 04, 2019, 07:46:30 AM by pvaldes »

pvaldes

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 134
    • Spain
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #20 on: July 04, 2019, 07:31:31 AM »

Can anyone tell me if these are stingless bees? They're about 1cm long.




Solitary bees probably. Maybe Andrena or Megachilidae but scopa aren't clear in the photo

Stingless but will not make colonies and are unable to make honey, They are really good pollinizators for Fabaceae and other plants in any case.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2019, 07:34:52 AM by pvaldes »

SeaWalnut

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1397
    • Romania zone 6
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #21 on: July 04, 2019, 09:16:39 AM »
In a greenhouse you can keep all time bumblebees.
Comercial greenhouses pay a lot on small bumblebee colonyes.After 3-4 weeks in the greenhouse they kill them or let them die of starvation.Even the cartboard hives they arrive dont last long.
In my greenhouse i planned to keep 2 bumblebees hives with 2 different species that i wil catch from the wild.They will be all time residents and il fed them sugar and pollen pattyes from my european bees.
In case il get bumblebees queens during the winter in greenhouse,then il colect those queens and keep them in my fridge until spring,when il release them into the wild.
Will open a forum thread when il start building the bumblebees hives.Also altough verry peacefull,the bumblebees can sting a lot worse than a bee and multiple times not just once.I got high tolerance to bee stings wich i barely feel ,after i got stung by bumblebess( wasps stings  and the giant water bug also bite me).

Finca La Isla

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2124
    • Costa Rica, Southern Caribbean coast
    • View Profile
    • finca la isla
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #22 on: July 04, 2019, 11:59:31 AM »
Costa Rica has different regions with different conditions.  Where I am located, in Limon, we don’t really have the extended dry season that the Central Valley and Pacific coast experience.  Our melipona seem to be active all the time and I’ve never heard, when speaking with local experts, that there is a season when bees simply wont colonize a new box.
We have been successful in attracting melipona while others manage a division of the hives, extracting the queen and putting it in the new hive.  Apparently the hive that lost the queen can produce another.
There are many people in this area interested in melipona management.  Where I have seen a resurgence of interest is in Yucatán. There they have some very large programs.
Peter

Grapebush

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 344
    • Portugal, Madeira Island, Funchal, 11
    • View Profile
Re: Poll: Meliponiculture
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2019, 06:29:18 PM »

Can anyone tell me if these are stingless bees? They're about 1cm long.




Solitary bees probably. Maybe Andrena or Megachilidae but scopa aren't clear in the photo

Stingless but will not make colonies and are unable to make honey, They are really good pollinizators for Fabaceae and other plants in any case.

Thank you for your answer and help.
I got to know, that there are a few species of stingless bees here in my Island but it seems that all of them are solitary.
I'm preparing traps, to see if I can atract any of these, and use them as polinators, but odd seem to be very low. There's always the possibility of getting a species of social or semi social bees, as some experts say that there are still many species to be identified here in the Island…

Hera are some others that I've photographed in the last year.






















Life is all about learning, but sometimes, the more you learn, the less you seem to know...