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.

Industrial agriculture is the root cause of many health problems that honey bees (Apis mellifera Linneaus, 1758) face, but honey bee researchers seldom call attention to this fact. We often discuss the stressors that contribute to colony loss (e.g., pathogens, pesticides, poor nutrition), but we rarely talk about where those stressors come from. This is a problem because we cannot resolve honey bee health issues unless we confront the systems that cause them harm. In this forum article, I unpack the relationship between honey bee health and industrial agriculture. I propose steps we can take to reframe our research to account for the impacts of this destructive system, and I discuss the uncomfortable questions that surface when we engage in this process. The goal of this article is to encourage conversation within the honey bee research community around the impacts of industrial agriculture, so that we can fully engage in the transformative change needed to support honey bee health.

The chemical composition of stingless bee honey and propolis depends on the plant sources they are derived from, and thus reflects the flora available in the vicinity of the hives, the preferences of the bee species, and the climate (altitude and temperature). To understand the relative influence of these factors, we studied the composition of honey and propolis of the stingless bee Scaptotrigona mexicana. Samples from 24 colonies were analyzed: 12 each from two S. mexicana meliponaries located in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico, approximately 8.5 km apart, Tuxtla Chico and Cacahoatán. The chemical composition of honey and propolis was studied using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. The antioxidant activity of propolis was also studied. Chemometric analyses were applied. The Tuxtla Chico honey samples contained higher concentrations of glucose and fructose, while the Cacahoatán samples displayed a rich composition of di- and trisaccharides. These differences can be attributed to the distinct nectar sources utilized by the bees at each location. Propolis compositions in the two locations also demonstrated qualitative differences, indicating a specific choice of resins by the bees. The observed substantial variations in the chemical composition of propolis and honey of S. mexicana from two locations relatively close to each other supports the assumption that bee species cannot be considered the most important factor in determining their chemistry.

The chemical composition of stingless bee honey and propolis depends on the plant sources they are derived from, and thus reflects the flora available in the vicinity of the hives, the preference of the bee species, and the climate (altitude and temperature). To understand the relative influence of these factors, we studied the composition of honey and propolis. Samples from 24 colonies were analyzed: 12 from each of two Scaptotrigona mexicana meliponiaries located in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico approximately 8.5 km apart. The chemical composition of honey and propolis was studied using NMR, and GC-MS, respectively. Antioxidant activity of propolis was also studied. Chemometric analyses were applied. The Tuxtla Chico honey samples contained higher concentrations of glucose and fructose, while the Cacahoatán samples displayed a rich composition of di- and trisaccharides. These differences can be attributed to the distinct nectar sources utilized by the bees in each location. Propolis composition in the two locations also demonstrated qualitative differences, indicating a specific choice of resins by the bees. The observed substantial variations in the chemical composition of propolis and honey of S. mexicana from two relatively close locations support the assumption that bee species cannot be regarded as the most important factor determining their chemistry.

The concept of site quality was developed to project the expected production of timber species in even-aged stands in order to produce standardized site index curves. This concept can also be used in a more ecological sense to discern the spatial growth patterns of timber species in natural forests. We used the height-diameter relationship to evaluate a method to determine site quality for Swietenia macrophylla King in natural forests in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Using linear models and analysis of covariance, we detected significant and notable differences in mahogany development (p < .001), with some trees exceeding the predicted height by more than one meter. These differences were related to micro-topographic and edaphic factors and to the spectral response of the vegetation. Using a predictive model of site quality to develop a site quality map, we also determined that 86% of the production forest in the study area fit in the low productivity category, with mahogany growing below the predicted height for the area. These results suggest that site quality maps can contribute to effective forest management where forest aptitude is not homogeneous for timber growth. Concentrating management practices on high quality sites has the potential to conserve investment resources and increase production.