A Review on the Pollination Services by Stingless Bees, Heterotrigona itama (Hymenoptera; Apidae; Meliponini), on Some Important Crops in Malaysia

Abstract

Stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) are common pollinators in the Malaysian agricultural ecosystem. Stingless bees are regarded as a good candidate for commercial pollination because of their specialized foraging adaptations and frequent visitation to cultivated fields. Unlike honeybees and bumble bees, stingless bees have not yet been commercially bred on a large scale for pollination purposes. Several studies outside Malaysia have shown that stingless bees' foraging activities may increase the production and quality of fruits. However, the role of stingless bees in producing quality fruits in open fields or in greenhouse crops in the Malaysian agricultural ecosystem is still unknown. In this review, the authors discuss the efficiency of stingless bees, Heterotrigona itama, pollination services on some important cultivated crops in Malaysia, namely chili (Capsicum annuum), cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), and rock melon (Cucumis melo) based on previous reports. The findings revealed that pollination by H. itama can increase fruit size and weight, seed number, and pericarp volume.