Nonvolatile chemicals provide a nest defence mechanism for stingless beesTetragonula carbonaria(Apidae, Meliponini)

Stingless Bee (Apidae: Apinae: Meliponini) Ecology

Stingless bees form perennial colonies of honey-making insects. The >600 species of stingless bees, mainly Neotropical, live throughout tropical latitudes. Foragers influence floral biology, plant reproduction, microbe dispersal, and diverse ecosystem functions. As tropical forest residents since the upper Cretaceous, they have had a long evolutionary history without competition from honey bees. Most stingless bees are smaller than any Apis species and recruit nest mates to resources, while their defense strategies exclude stinging behavior but incorporate biting. Stingless bees have diversified ecologically; excel in nesting site selection and mutualisms with plants, arthropods, and microbes; and display opportunism, including co-opting plant defenses. As their biology becomes better known, applications to human endeavors are imposing selective pressures from exploitation and approaches to conservation that entail colony extraction from wildlands. Although some meliponines can adjust to new conditions, their populations shall require tropical diversity for survival and reproduction.

Practical meliponiculture: use of trap boxes to control Tracuá Carpenter ants (Camponotus atriceps Smith, 1858), an important natural enemy

This study aimed to observe the attractiveness efficiency of trap boxes installed in collective shelters of stingless bee colonies (Melipona flavolineata, Melipona fasciculata and Scaptotrigona aff. depilis), as an alternative method for non-chemical control of tracuá carpenter ants (Camponotus atriceps). The study was conducted at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, in Belém, Pará, Brazil, from March to August 2015. The results showed that the efficiency of this technique depended on the presence of bee colonies and on the bee species in the collective shelter. Overall, an efficiency of 40.6% was found in the capture of C. atriceps individuals, which rose to 75% considering only collective shelters of M. fasciculata colonies, and to 87.5% for collective shelters of M. flavolineata. Trap boxes installed in collective shelters of S. depilis did not attract any C. atriceps group or individuals. The use of trap boxes in collective shelters of stingless bee colonies of the genus Melipona (M. flavolineata and M. fasciculata) is an efficient alternative method of non-chemical control of tracuá carpenter ants (C. atriceps).

Resin Use by Stingless Bees: A Review

Stingless bees (Meliponini) are highly social bees that are native to tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems. Resin use is vital to many aspects of stingless bee colony function. Stingless bees use resin to build essential nest structures, repel predators, and kill would-be invaders. Furthermore, resin-derived compounds have been found to enrich the cuticular chemical profiles of many stingless bee species, and resin may play an important role in shaping the microbial communities associated with stingless bees and their nests. Despite its importance for colony function, previous reviews of resin use by stingless bees are lacking. This topic grows increasingly urgent as changes in beekeeping and land use practices occur, potentially diminishing stingless bees' ability to incorporate resin into the nest environment. In this article, we review existing literature on resin use by stingless bees and discuss potential areas of future research.