Diversity, Distribution, Nesting and Foraging Behavior of Stingless Bees and Recent Meliponiculture in Indonesia

Abstract

Stingless bees are one of the social bees that are spread across tropical and subtropical countries, including Indonesia. Indonesia has 46 species of 10 genera, and they are endemic in at least three distinct areas. Some species live in specific microclimates and environmental conditions; for example, Wallacetrigona incisa lives in the mountainous highlands of Sulawesi. It has many variations of nest architecture and places of nesting from natural habitats to residential environments that provide food plant sources of a variety of wild to cultivated plants. Stingless bees have a small body size, small honey pots, and limited foraging range and forage for more in short plants. In general, the forage distance and flight distances are correlated with the body size. The role of bees in nature is very important as pollinators and pray for protected wildlife and other insect eaters. Stingless bees also produce the products honey and propolis that are useful for humans. Indonesian meliponiculture provides benefits to the community but requires caution for the preservation of bees in their habitat. The transfer of colonies of stingless bees between islands and altitudes have caused many colony deaths and could not produce well. Conservation regulation is the solution.