Stingless Bees

Stingless Bees Latest News

Amazonian stingless bees have become the first insect in the world to be granted legal rights, after two municipalities — Satipo and Nauta — in Peru passed an ordinance earlier this month.

About Stingless Bees

• Stingless Bees are a class of bees which either do not have stingers or have stingers that cannot cause much pain.
• Common genera of stingless bees: Austroplebeia, Melipona, and Tetragonula
• They do possess stingers, but they are too small to be useful in defense. Instead of stinging, stingless bees use their mandibles to bite their attackers.
• Stingless bees are among the planet’s oldest pollinators, with a remarkable concentration of species in the Amazon rainforest.
• Distribution: They are found in tropical regions across the world, and about half of the 500 known species live in the Amazon.
  • Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Americas are the main areas where the stingless bee is found. 
  • In India, these bees are reported primarily from the northeastern, eastern, and southern Indian States.
• Benefits: Stingless bees can be used for pollination without fear of being stung. They are known for their popular medicinal honey and pollination potential.
• Threats: Deforestation has reduced nesting sites, while pesticide use, climate change and competition from invasive honeybees have further weakened populations.

Source: IE

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