Do Stingless Bees Need More Protection?
Although a bee without a stinger may sound like something out of science fiction, there are more than 100 species of stingless bees. How do they protect themselves and the hives? One way is that they bite! It has been found that there are some incredible medicinal benefits to the honey produced by these species, which makes them significantly essential to protect. There is currently a growing effort of Amazon people to learn how to raise stingless bees. The Amazon culture depends heavily on bee honey for medicinal purposes and previously only retrieved honey from hives in the wild, which often damaged them. Recognizing the permanent destruction of hives as a common side effect of over-harvesting hives, the effort is to access the honey without destroying the bees who produce it. The Peruvian Amazon people are findings ways to raise bees without stingers. Those with strong allergic reactions or simply a fear of bees are jumping up and down over this latest bee news.
Stingless Bee Honey Has Added Benefits
Believe it or not, stingless bee honey has known wound-healing properties that also help inflammation. Another radical benefit of stingless bee honey is its properties to keep microbial and fungal growth from occurring, which is enormously helpful in the humidity and heat typical in the region. It makes sense that so many are invested in finding ways to harvest this honey without harming the bees and destroying the hives. Of course, it comes down to science. To accomplish such a task, scientists happily assist in achieving the feat. There are just under 200 stingless bee species. Although this may seem like plenty to harvest the needed honey, harvesting honey from these bees is explicitly tricky without destroying the hives. This is where the help of scientists comes in, and both the local people and scientists seek the best way to sustain the hives while getting the medicinal honey they need.
As top scientists and others associated with National Geographic work together with the Peruvian Amazonian people to learn how to raise stingless bees, researchers have gotten on the bandwagon to understand how these stingless bees pollinate and other habits and traits of these unique species of bees. Many unknowns exist about why stingless bee honey has such superb medicinal properties. Scientists are eager to find out how this honey can benefit humans.
The Peruvian Amazon People Overcome Bee Challenges
The Peruvian Amazon felt the effects of COVID-19 particularly hard. However, many see these latest stingless bee sustainability efforts as a life raft for the Peruvian Amazon people and their economy. The ability to raise bees and harvest medicinal honey without causing damage or harm to the hives means sustainable production of this necessity in their culture. The mere attention to these unique species of bees increases scientific knowledge of bees overall, allowing additional research into the benefits of their pollination. Medicinal honey may only be the beginning of these species’ survival value.
There are risks associated with raising these valuable stingless bees. These tiny striped insects can pack a powerful and painful bite without stingers. Some stingless species are meat eaters, which makes human flesh too tempting to deny. Enduring painful bites is a great challenge for people trying to extract the honey from these hives. Wild hives have been much easier, but in the longer term, the damage that occurs could put these stingless bees at risk of being wiped out.
As these unique and fascinating species of bees lead the headlines today, the hope is that by embracing the raising of stingless bees, the Peruvian Amazon people will strengthen their economy. The nature of the honey having medicinal properties and the critical contribution to the economics of the region makes all the time and effort worth it. As scientists, researchers, and the local people work together to find ways to build mutually beneficial relationships with the stingless bees, it is evident that many may reap the benefits. Finding something created in nature that tastes good and can potentially serve some of the same purposes of modern medicine is exciting!
Maintaining the integrity of hives is vital when extracting the bee’s products. Without our bee friends, stingers or not, there are numerous benefits from the honey they produce. Not to mention what they do for our flowers, plants, and trees! If you encounter a hive that is causing disruption to your property or life, make sure you contact a professional and experienced bee remover in your area who can safely remove the hive and relocate it to a place where they can continue to do their jobs. It is also said that using local honey can help with some allergies and other health issues, so if you are in San Diego, contact D-Tek for some local and delicious honey!