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The stingless bee has been gaining more attention in recent years due to the uniqueness and benefits of its products. Similar to the common honeybee, stingless bees also produce honey, propolis, and pollen, which offer superior benefits for direct or indirect consumption. However, reports on the benefits of stingless bee products are scarce. This article summarises recent reports on stingless bee products. The function and application of the properties of the products such as phenolic compounds, antioxidant properties, and chemical content are elucidated. The antimicrobial properties and anticancer potential of the products are also highlighted. Future trends, potential, and uniqueness of stingless bee products are discussed. Stingless bee honey is highlighted as a superfood that exceptionally has the potential to be an active ingredient in treating cancer. Stingless bee propolis has been extensively studied for its rich beneficial chemical compounds that contribute to its antioxidant properties. Though studies on stingless bee pollen are scarce, it has been reported that it also has the potential of being a functional food.

Compared to honeybees and bumblebees, the effect of diet on the gut microbiome of Neotropical corbiculate bees such as Melipona spp. is largely unknown. These bees have been managed for centuries, but recently an annual disease is affecting M. quadrifasciata, an endangered species kept exclusively by management in Southern Brazil. Here we report the results of a longitudinal metabarcoding study involving the period of M. quadrifasciata colony weakness, designed to monitor the gut microbiota and diet changes preceding an outbreak. We found increasing amounts of bacteria associated to the gut of forager bees 2 months before the first symptoms have been recorded. Simultaneously, forager bees showed decreasing body weight. The accelerated growth of gut-associated bacteria was uneven among taxa, with Bifidobacteriaceae dominating, and Lactobacillaceae decreasing in relative abundance within the bacterial community. Dominant fungi such as Candida and Starmerella also decreased in numbers, and the stingless bee obligate symbiont Zygosaccharomyces showed the lowest relative abundance during the outbreak period. Such changes were associated with pronounced diet shifts, i.e., the rise of Eucalyptus spp. pollen amount in forager bees’ guts. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between the amount of Eucalyptus pollen in diets and the abundance of some bacterial taxa in the gut-associated microbiota. We conclude that diet and subsequent interactions with the gut microbiome are key environmental components of the annual disease and propose the use of diet supplementation as means to sustain the activity of stingless bee keeping as well as native bee pollination services.

Background Epidemiological and experimental studies have extensively indicated that chronic subclinical systemic inflammation (CSSI) and oxidative stress are risk factors for several chronic diseases, including cancer, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. This study examined the protective effect of stingless bee honey (SBH) supplementation against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced CSSI, pointing to the possible involvement of NF-κB, p38 MAPK and Nrf2 signaling. Methods CSSI was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of LPS three times per week for 28 days, and SBH (4.6 and 9.3 g/kg/day) was supplemented for 30 days. Results LPS-induced rats showed significant leukocytosis, and elevated serum levels of CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), accompanied with diminished antioxidants. Treatment with SBH significantly ameliorated inflammatory markers, MDA and 8-OHdG, and enhanced antioxidants in LPS-induced rats. In addition, SBH decreased NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK, and increased Nrf2 expression in the liver, kidney, heart and lung of LPS-induced rats. Furthermore, SBH prevented LPS-induced histological and functional alterations in the liver, kidney, heart and lung of rats. Conclusion SBH has a substantial protective role against LPS-induced CSSI in rats mediated via amelioration of inflammation, oxidative stress and NF-κB, p38 MAPK and Nrf2 signaling.

The use of natural honey (NH) as a nutraceutical agent is associated with nutritional benefits and therapeutic promises. NH is widely accepted as food and medicine by all generations, traditions and civilizations, both ancient and modern. The nutritional profiles, including its use in infant and children feeding reported in different literatures as well as health indices and biomarkers observed by various researchers are illustrated in this manuscript. The review documents folk medicine, experimentation with animal models, and orthodox medical practices shown by clinical trials. This covers virtually all human organs and body systems extensively studied by different workers. The sources and adverse effects of NH contamination, as well as the preventive methods are identified. This could promote the availability of residue free honey and a wholesome natural product for domestic consumption and international market. This could also help to prevent health problems associated with NH poisoning. In addition, apicultural practices and the economic importance of honey are well documented. This report also includes information about a relatively unknown and uncommon South American stingless bee species. We concluded this review by identifying important roles for Ethno-entomologists, other Scientists and Apiculturists in the development of stingless bees to boost honey production, consumption and economic earnings.

Besides the incipient research effort, the role of parasites as drivers of the reduction affecting pollinator populations is mostly unknown. Given the worldwide extension of the beekeeping practice and the diversity of pathogens affecting Apis mellifera populations, honey bee colonies are a certain source of parasite dispersion to other species. Here, we communicate the detection of the microsporidium Nosema ceranae, a relatively new parasite of honey bees, in stingless bees (Meliponini) and the social wasp Polybia scutellaris (Vespidae) samples from Argentina and Brazil by means of duplex PCR. Beyond the geographic location of the nests, N. ceranae was detected in seven from the eight Meliponini species analyzed, while Nosema apis, another common parasite of A. mellifera, was absent in all samples tested. Further research is necessary to determine if the presence of the parasite is also associated with established infection in host tissues. The obtained information enriches the current knowledge about pathologies that can infect or, at least, be vectored by native wild pollinators from South America.

Stingless bee honey (SBH) is an astounding ‘miracle liquid’ with countless medicinal properties for various diseases such as gastroenteritis, cataracts, as well as for wound-healing. However, knowledge regarding it is still rather scarce. Henceforth, it is intriguing for us to contemplate on the less-studied stingless bee and its honey in particular. First and foremost, the antimicrobial ability of honey from eight different stingless bee species was tested to further proven its health benefit. Homotrigona fimbriata honey showed the highest antimicrobial activity with inhibition against five bacteria; Serratia marcescens, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Alcaligenes faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. The next aim of our study is to characterize their honey bacterial community via the use of 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technology. A total of eight bacterial phyla, 71 families, 155 genera and 70 species were identified from our study and two of the stingless bee species honey were determined to have the highest bacterial diversity compared to other six stingless bee species, namely Heterotrigona erythrogastra and Tetrigona melanoleuca. Furthermost, Lactobacillus malefermentans was thought to be the native dominant bacteria of SBH due to its predominant presence throughout all studied species. The aforementioned SBH’s antimicrobial results and characterization study of its bacterial diversity are hoped to carve the pathway towards extending its probiotic ability into our everyday lives.

The Mayan bee Melipona beecheii is one of the most important and widely cultivated stingless bees in Mexico. In order to document pollen and nectar resources for M. beecheii during the dry season, 25 pot-pollen and 25 pot-honey samples were collected from February to May 2021 at eight villages in Yucatan, Mexico. All samples were acetolysed, and 500 pollen grains were counted randomly for each sample. A total of 21 taxa belonging to eight botanical families were observed in the pot-pollen samples; in contrast, 32 pollen types from 16 botanical families were recorded in the pot-honey samples. According to PCA analyses, the pollen types that explained the maximum variance among the pot-pollen samples were Senna racemosa var. racemosa , Lonchocarpus punctatum , Cochlospermum vitifolium , Bursera schlechtendalii and B. simaruba , while S. racemosa var. racemosa ,  C. vitifolium , Alternanthera ramosissima , Psidium guajava , B. schlechtendalii , B. simaruba , L. punctatum,   Mimosa bahamensis and Solanum americanum  explained the greatest variance among the pot-honey samples. Our results confirm that M. beecheii displays polylectic foraging and targets for the secondary vegetation of tropical deciduous and tropical semideciduous forests. Diversity in the pot-pollen was found to be lower than that of the pot-honey samples. Since some pot-honey samples were overrepresented by the pollen grains of S. racemosa var. racemosa , PCA and cluster analysis grouped those pot-pollen and pot-honey samples together.

Copper sulfate (CuSO 4 ) is widely used in agriculture as a pesticide and foliar fertilizer. However, the possible environmental risks associated with CuSO 4 use, particularly related to pollinating insects, have been poorly studied. In this study, we evaluated both lethal and sublethal effects of CuSO 4 on the stingless bee Partamona helleri . Foragers were orally exposed to five concentrations of CuSO 4 (5000, 1666.7, 554.2, 183.4, 58.4 μg mL −1 ), and the concentration killing 50% (LC 50 ) was estimated. This concentration (142.95 μg mL −1 ) was subsequently used in behavioral, midgut morphology, and antioxidant activity analyses. Bee mortality increased with the ingestion of increasing concentrations of CuSO 4 . Ingestion at the estimated LC 50 resulted in altered walking behavior and damage to the midgut epithelium and peritrophic matrix of bees. Furthermore, the LC 50 increased the catalase or superoxide dismutase activities and levels of the lipid peroxidation biomarker malondialdehyde. Furthermore, the in situ detection of caspase-3 and LC3, proteins related to apoptosis and autophagy, respectively, revealed that these processes are intensified in the midgut of treated bees. These data show that the ingestion of CuSO 4 can have considerable sublethal effects on the walking behavior and midgut of stingless bees, and therefore could pose potential risks to pollinators including native bees. Graphical abstract

Wild and managed bees are essential for crop pollination and food production. However, the widespread use of insecticides such as neonicotinoids may affect the survival, development, behavior, and maintenance of bee colonies. Therefore, in this study we evaluated the impacts of three neonicotinoid insecticides on the survival and walking abilities of the Africanized honeybee A. mellifera and stingless bee S. postica. A. mellifera was more susceptible than S. postica to all neonicotinoids tested. The median lethal concentrations LC50 values estimated for acetamiprid, imidacloprid, and thiacloprid were 189.62, 22.78, and 142.31 ng µL–1 of diet for A. mellifera, and 475.94, 89.11, and 218.21 ng µL–1 of diet for S. postica, respectively. All tested neonicotinoids affected the speed, distance traveled, duration and frequency of resting, and continuous mobility of both bee species. The results showed that in spite of the different susceptibility to compounds with cyano and nitro radicals, the behavioral variables showed different levels of commitment according to the molecule insecticide and bee species. These results contribute not only to the understanding of the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on A. mellifera and S. postica, but also to help in the development of protocols that aim to reduce the impact of these insecticides in Neotropical environments.

Bees play a crucial role in pollination but are exposed to various pesticides during nectar and pollen collection, which can impact their health and pollination efficiency. This study aimed to investigate morphological and histochemical changes in the hypopharyngeal glands of Scaptotrigona postica after exposure to three chemical compounds: glyphosate, fipronil, and Tween. Nurse bees of S. postica were divided into four experimental groups and fed with sucrose syrup containing the compounds for 24 h. After the exposure period, the hypopharyngeal glands were analyzed for morphology using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The hypopharyngeal glands of S. postica exhibited a tubuloacinar structure, with unicellular acini approximately 54 µm in diameter. Exposure to fipronil resulted in changes in the organization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and increased area and sphericity of the acini compared to all other groups, as well as a higher presence of proteins in the cytoplasm compared to other pesticides, potentially due to increased food consumption. Bees exposed to glyphosate showed alterations in the mitochondria compared to all groups. The Tween group did not exhibit significant changes in cellular ultrastructure, only a smaller area and sphericity compared to the control group. The hypopharyngeal glands are highly sensitive to pesticides and are efficient bioindicators. Significant changes in these glands can compromise the maintenance of the colony.