India has been bestowed with the richness of few species of honeybees. These bees have been of great importance for the ecological health of environment. There are two kinds of bees, which are categorized as stinging and stingless. The stinging bees which are reared mainly belonging to genus Apis while stingless one is belonging to genus Trigona, Tetragonula, Leistrigona etc. They are locally known as redpoi, sonpoi etc. It is a large group of bees belonging to the tribe Meliponini and family Apidae. About 600 stingless bee species occur in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Like Apis honey bees, these stingless bees are also economically important, yielding honey and acting as pollinators. Stingless bees honey is highly valued medicinally for which it fetches a premium price ranging from Rs 2000 to 10000/kg.
Stingless bees are inhabited by making hives in cracks and crevices of wall, tree trunks or other undisturbed dark places. They make hives by collecting resin from desired trees and mixing it with wax. Majority of these bees prefer Bamboo, Acacia, Cashew, Mango, Jackfruit and Teak trees. The colony is comprised of a queen, drones and workers. The colony arrangement of these bees is very peculiar. The hive has single entry and exit hole.
The unique nature of these bees is its multilayer arrangement. Hive having different chambers and are arranged in the following order, viz., pollen storage chamber, honey storage chamber, and brood rearing chamber. Stingless bees have tendency to expand their hive horizontally or vertically in tree trunks. These stingless bees generally swarm once in a year (June-July) and during this period their hive disappears in the trees. They use variety of resinous substance (propolis) for building hives. Propolis is collected from Jackfruit, Mango, Arjun, Teak, Jamun etc. Stingless bee foraging includes: White amaranthus, Mimosa pudica (lajalu), Cuphea, Tridex procumbens (Ekdandi), Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), Coccus nucifera (Coconut) etc.
Indian fauna of stingless bees is poorly known despite very diverse agro-climatic regions. This poor state is because of a lack of systematic explorations and studies of Indian fauna. Rasmussen (2013) lists 8 species from India. Studies by Jobiraj and Narendran (2004), Viraktamath and Sajan Jose (2017), Shanas and Faseeh (2019), Viraktamath and Rojeet (2021, 2022), Viraktamath and Jagruti (2022) and Viraktamath et al (2023) revealed the rich diversity of Indian fauna by adding 19 new species bringing the number of stingless bee species to 27 in India. However, several new species of stingless bees are yet to be discovered and described.
Goa has a diversified topography with Western Ghats, plateau, khazan, and beaches, which provide rich flora to stingless bees. Also, the hot and humid climate in the state is suitable for stingless bees. However, there are no studies on the diversity of stingless bees in Goa and it practically remains an unexplored state even today. Tribal communities and local farmers rear stingless bees in different structures viz., wooden logs, arecanut splits, bamboo, earthen pots, etc. Natural colonies are seen in tree hollows, stones, stone walls, etc.
During a recent survey, morphological variation was observed in stingless bees of Goa. Therefore, it is necessary to study the diversity of stingless bees in Goa, identify the existing species, and describe and illustrate the new species if any for a better understanding of the fauna of Goa. Molecular and morphometric study will help to describe new paratypes.
Though stingless bees are one of the vital pollinators of various crops as well as several plant species ensuring sustainable agriculture and plant diversity, people are unfortunately unaware of the importance of these stingless bees. Their honey having high medicinal values fetches a high premium price of up to rupees 10,000 per 1000 g. The culturing of stingless bees is called ‘meliponiculture’ and is practiced by very few people in India including Goa. Since stingless bees do not sting, colonies are perennial, very easy to culture requiring low-cost inputs. Meliponiculture is an ideal occupation for children and women that generates additional income as well as conserves our ecosystems. Hence, there is a need to create an awareness among the tribal, marginal, and submarginal farm women. Hands-on training needs to be conducted.
A preliminary survey made recently in Goa by the investigators revealed the occurrence of two genera of stingless bees viz. Tetragonula and Lisotrigona. Bees belonging to the genus Lisotrigona are commonly called white stingless honey bees because of the whitish color of the brood. The honey of these bees is very attractive with a light golden yellow color and is claimed to have more medicinal value than other stingless bees’ honey. Hence it fetches a very high premium price in Kerala. Honey of stingless honey bees differ greatly in their physical and biochemical properties. Similarly, they also differ in their medicinal values. Hence, it is necessary to characterise honey of these two genera for their physical and biochemical properties and brand them as Goan Stingless bees’ Honey. This will help boost the market value of the honey and Goan beekeepers get an attractive market price for their produce.
(Rajan Shelke is in-charge head, assistant professor, entomology, Goa College of Agriculture, Ela Farm, Old Goa)