The role and significance of stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes: Meliponini) in the natural environment

Autor: Bąk-Badowska Jolanta, Żeber-Dzikowska Ilona, Gworek Barbara, Kacprzyk Wanda, Chmielewski Jarosław
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Vol 30, Iss 2, Pp 1-5 (2019)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2353-8589
DOI: 10.2478/oszn-2019-0005
Popis: This article refers to the biology and ecology of stingless bees (Meliponini), living in tropical and subtropical areas. Similar to honey bees (Apis mellifera), stingless bees (Meliponini) belong to the category of proper social insects and are at the highest level of social development. This group of insects comprises about 500 species and they are the most common bees pollinating the native plants in many tropical areas. Families of stingless bees are usually quite numerous, reaching up to 100,000 individuals. They are characterised by polymorphism, age polyethism and perennialism. This article presents the structural complexity of natural nesting of these tropical insects and their ability to settle in artificial nest traps. The main significance of stingless bees for humans is their role in the natural environment as pollinators, which is an essential factor influencing biodiversity.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals