Bees for Development: Brazilian Survey Reveals How to Optimize Stingless Beekeeping

Author(s):Show less -

Jaffe, Rodolfo ^[1] ; Pope, Nathaniel ^[2] ; Carvalho, Airton Torres ^[3] ; Maia, Ulysses Madureira ^[3] ; Blochtein, Betina ^[4] ; Lopes de Carvalho, Carlos Alfredo ^[5] ; Carvalho-Zilse, Gislene Almeida ^[6] ; Freitas, Breno Magalhaes ^[7] ; Menezes, Cristiano ^[8] ; Ribeiro, Marcia de Fatima ^[9] ; Venturieri, Giorgio Cristino ^[8] ; Imperatriz-Fonseca, Vera Lucia ^{[3, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ecol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Texas Austin, Dept Integrat Biol, Biol Labs 401, Austin, TX 78712 - USA

^[3] Univ Fed Rural Semi Arido, Dept Ciencias Anim, Mossoro, RN - Brazil

^[4] Pontificia Univ Catolica Rio Grande do Sul, Entomol Lab, Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Reconcavo Bahia, Ctr Ciencias Agr Ambientais & Biol, Insecta Res Grp, Cruz das Almas, BA - Brazil

^[6] Inst Nacl de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Grp Pesquisas Abelhas, Manaus, Amazonas - Brazil

^[7] Univ Fed Ceara, Dept Zootecnia CCA, Fortaleza, Ceara - Brazil

^[8] Empresa Brasileira Pesquisa Agr, Embrapa Amazonia Oriental, Belem, Para - Brazil

^[9] Empresa Brasileira Pesquisa Agr, Embrapa Semiarido, Petrolina, PE - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PLoS One; v. 10, n. 3 MAR 31 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 30

Abstract

Stingless bees are an important asset to assure plant biodiversity in many natural ecosystems, and fulfill the growing agricultural demand for pollination. However, across developing countries stingless beekeeping remains an essentially informal activity, technical knowledge is scarce, and management practices lack standardization. Here we profited from the large diversity of stingless beekeepers found in Brazil to assess the impact of particular management practices on productivity and economic revenues from the commercialization of stingless bee products. Our study represents the first large-scale effort aiming at optimizing stingless beekeeping for honey/colony production based on quantitative data. Survey data from 251 beekeepers scattered across 20 Brazilian States revealed the influence of specific management practices and other confounding factors over productivity and income indicators. Specifically, our results highlight the importance of teaching beekeepers how to inspect and feed their colonies, how to multiply them and keep track of genetic lineages, how to harvest and preserve the honey, how to use vinegar traps to control infestation by parasitic flies, and how to add value by labeling honey containers. Furthermore, beekeeping experience and the network of known beekeepers were found to be key factors influencing productivity and income. Our work provides clear guidelines to optimize stingless beekeeping and help transform the activity into a powerful tool for sustainable development. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/13200-5 - Promoting meliponiculture to achieve rural sustainable development
• Grantee: Rodolfo Jaffé Ribbi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral