What is stingless bee

"Stingless bee"Do you know the type of bee called?

Most stingless bees are species that originated in Latin America, including Ecuador, but also live in tropical and subtropical regions of Australia, Africa, and Asia.

These bees are relatives of the European honeybee (Apis mellifera species) and the Japanese honeybee (Apis serana species), but they have evolved to adapt to an environment where there are no major enemies, their stingers degenerate and they no longer sting, and instead they replace their jaws ( The development of attacks by 

The impact of bees on nature

WaspImportant for pollination of most flowers of plantsAnd if there were no bees on this planet, many of the plants that bees help would be affected.

 

About the classification and characteristics of stingless bees

Stingless wasps also come in many varieties, varying in appearance and color, from bees as small as mosquitoes to large hairy insects.

There are differences in social life and nest structure from those that live in permanent colonies such as Western honeybees and Japanese honeybees.

The Meliponi tribe is represented by many genera and hundreds of species, and the techniques and culture of beekeeping for the stingless bee are named after this Meliponi species."Meliponi Culture"is named.

Indigenous peoples of Mexico have long kept stingless wasps,A sustainable relationship that benefits both humans and natureknown as a good example of

Ecuadorian beekeeping

In Ecuador, where Mamano walks together, beekeeping is not popular among the indigenous people.Collect honey from natural beehives that live in tree hollowsBecause of this, it was not uncommon for a little bit of honey to destroy the beehive.

Ecuadorianmeliponi culturehas been of growing interest not only from the public but also from universities and governments for the last decade or so.Protecting bees makes an important contribution to the pollination of plantations and native forest plants.This is because we have come to understand that

The value of beekeeping for farmers and nature

Meriponi culture (needleless beekeeping)is not only for the farmers who grow cocoa in an environment with high biodiversity, but also for the surrounding nature and plants (cultivated for various purposes such as food, medicine, and crafts). I believe there are benefits.

Because bees help pollinate plants and farmers can harvest honey sustainably without harming beehives.

On the flavor and value of stingless bees

The flavor of stingless honey varies depending on the type of bee, the flowers visited, maturity and the season.

Honey from the rich natural environment of the Ecuadorian rainforestAt Mamano, we deliver it to everyone in a pure state without adding anything, so you can feel this rich taste.

About the nutritional value and attention-grabbing effects of stingerless honeybees

The honey of stingless bees is

• High concentration of antioxidants
• Anti-inflammatory effect
• antibacterial effect

It has been traditionally used to treat a variety of ailments such as pregnancy, eye disease, colds, indigestion and skin ailments.

For example, one small producer's honey is dripped directly into patients' eyes to treat eye problems such as pterygium and infections. In Ecuador's Napo department, some locals are fascinated by the ecology and benefits of these bees and have begun harvesting magical honey.

*There are many research papers on the medical application of bees called apitherapy, but this article is only an introduction to the local usage and the efficacy described in the papers. plug.

In this way, needleless bee honey is used for a variety of purposes, and is said to have a high value in terms of taste and health.

How to grow and harvest mamano honey

Raw honey grown in the home garden of Uri, the representative of Mamano in Latin America (Garden name: Luz Verde).A place surrounded by lush rainforest along the river Tena in the Napo department, Ecuadoris in

Under the guidance of a beekeeping expert, Mamano first started beekeeping for needleless bees. We are planning to work together on

• Raw, completely unheated
• No heating work including heating up to 40-50 degrees for honey filling
• There is no process of boiling down to increase the sugar content
• no filter
• Work only to filter large impurities
• Ripe
• Honey not covered by bees will not be collected
• When the bees determine that the honey is fully ripe based on the moisture content and concentration, they will close the lid and tell you that the honey is fully ripe.
• Pure, no additives, no added sugar, no color
• When collecting honey, work gently so as not to damage the bees.
• in feedingSugar water does not use
• It usually collects nectar and turns it into honey
• Feeding with sugar water reduces the original nutrients of honey
• If the hive is severely weakened by enemy attack or disease,Feed with the same type of honey from other hivesare doing
• Flower Honey
• Because nectar is collected from many flowers in the Amazon rainforest, you can expect a complex aroma and high nutritional value.
• 100% traceability
• Mamano consistently grasps the process from beekeeping, collection, bottling, importing, and domestic bottling

Types of bees and honey

At Mamano, we will first incorporate three species of stingless bees into Mamano's projects and start providing customers with pure raw honey.

the smallest is"Tetragonisca angustula"And it's the size of a mosquito. They are also commonly called "little angels". 

It is about 4-5 mm long and has a yellowish color. Nests can consist of 2000-5000 individuals and are often found in holes in bamboo or other natural materials, or in small crevices in walls and other structures. This species forms a small, almost transparent tube as the entrance to the nest, making it visible from the outside.

Tetragonisca angustula honey is very fruity, sweet and delicious to eat, but it is also highly valued as a medicine containing antibiotics.

The second seed is"Melipona eburnea"They look a lot like regular bees, but they have hairs on their backs and don't sting.

This bee is called "frog's mouth" (boca de sapo) in Spanish. This name is often given from the shape of the entrance, which is shaped like a frog's mouth. This species builds nests mainly in living or dead trees and uses propolis, which is very hard and tough. Propolis-infused honey has a fruity, slightly sour, strong taste. The size is about 7 to 8 mm in length. Even during the flowering period, only about 10g of honey can be harvested per day from one hive.

The third seed we chose wasMelipona grandisAnd as you might already guess from the name, this species is quite large in size. It is about 1 cm long and is mostly covered with hair. Their heavy bodies make them a bit clumsy in flight.

They are rarer than Melipona eburnea, but their high honey production (up to 30 grams/day during flowering) and the shape of their large colony-forming nest entrances make them a castle bee. Also called It can also be interpreted as the shape of a chicken butt, although it doesn't sound as good as "castle bee."

The honey is sweet and fruity and most closely resembles the honey of Western and Eastern honeybees of the species presented.

Variety

melipona ibrunea

A hive of melipona eburnea produces between 10 and 14.28g per day during flowering.

Bee size: up to 8mm 　　　　

Hive shape: brown honeycomb panel tower 

Mature beehives are light brown 　　　

Honey scent: Fruity and slightly sour taste

Shape of the entrance: shaped like the lips of the mouth (frog mouth)

　　　

melipona grandis

Melipona grandis hives produce about 25-30g per day during flowering. It also depends on how you manage your hive to increase production.

Bee size: up to 1cm

Hive shape: dark brown beehive tower 

Honey Taste: Sweet and fruity, similar to European honey bee honey.

Shape of the entrance: round shape with unevenness (chicken bee)

Tetragonisca angustula

Introducing this bee 

Bee size: 4-5mm

Hive shape: white tower with round shaped hive panels.

Honey scent: fruity and sweet

Entrance shape: white, almost transparent tunnel shape

 

If everyone likes this Mamano honey, we plan to gradually expand our honey cultivation business.