Bees for Development Journal 115: June 2015
reckless. Statistically, in Germany, there are around two colonies per km2. According to Seeley, with good food supply conditions existing at his location, there were five colonies per km2. But these average numbers say nothing about agglomerations in some areas.
Checklist: Is my apiary location compatible with natural standards? Condition Number of colonies at the location Flight radius (colonies/km2) Placement of the colonies Nest direction Height of the nest entrance Food supply in spring
Solar heat A careful selection of location can also strengthen the self-healing capacity of colonies. Every day in healthy colonies, 100 to 1,000 bees die away from the nest, particularly in regions with long winter periods. Colonies must have the opportunity to fly out to defecate and get rid of ill bees as often as possible. For this purpose, bees must be able to recognise the weather in winter and spring, and when it is good enough for them to fly. If the entrance hole of the hive faces south it is easier for them. Therefore, it is not surprising that wild swarms prefer entrance holes facing that direction.
Food supply in late summer
RECENT RESEARCH Stingless bees help low-income communities
20–30
30–40
>40
5
10
20
>40
Separately
2/4 block
Row
Bee house
South >5 metres
West Stand
Willow/ flowering fruit trees Heather/ Sunflower
Meadow
East Climbing aids Agrarian area
North On the ground Grassland
Agrarian area
Grassland
Meadow
From their choice of location we can learn a lot from the bees. Those beekeepers who want to practise natural beekeeping should try to meet the bees’ requirements as perfectly as possible.
Author details: OIE, Reference Laboratory at CVUA Freiburg, Am Moosweiher 2, D79108 Freiburg, Germany ritter@beehealth.info BfD acknowledges www.diebiene.de as the original source of this article
services, and contribute to the development of rural communities. This work provides guidelines to optimise the activity, make it more attractive to new entrepreneurs, and increase its value as a tool for sustainable development.
Imperatriz-Fonseca,V.L. (2015) Bees for development: Brazilian survey reveals how to optimize stingless beekeeping. PLoS ONE 10(3): e0121157. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0121157
For more information see Jaffé,R.; Pope,N.; Carvalho,A.T.; Maia,U.M.; Blochtein,B.; Carvalho, C.A.L.; Carvalho-Zilse,G.A.; Freitas,B.M.; Menezes,C.; Ribeiro,M.F.; Venturieri,G.C.; PHOTO © RODOLFO JAFFÉ
Brazilian researchers published an article in the April edition of the journal Plos One, concerning how indigenous bees, such as stingless bees, can help low-income communities to earn additional revenues, reduce the need to exploit other natural resources, and create incentives to protect the environment. Stingless bee keeping helps protect many indigenous bees along with their pollination services, which assure crop yields and help to maintain plant biodiversity in many natural ecosystems.
10–20
In Brazil and across developing countries, stingless beekeeping remains an informal activity, with a range of different management practices. Stingless beekeeping could help protect the bees, safeguard their pollination 5
One of the stingless bee beekeepers of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, interviewed by the researchers. Colonies of the Jandaira stingless bee Melipona subnitida can be seen hanging below the roof
