Management practices and honey characteristics of Melipona eburnea in the Peruvian Amazon

ABSTRACT: Meliponiculture and associated honey production are activities with a great potential for general use and commercialization in the Peruvian Amazon. Lack of management techniques and limited knowledge of honey quality are two factors which may hinder the implementation of meliponiculture. The present study was conducted in three communities in the Peruvian Amazon where the production and physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of honey from Melipona eburnea were evaluated at 90 days following transfer from natural to rational hives. Honey from M. eburnea was also compared with the 90-day-old honey from Melipona grandis, Melipona illota, and Melipona titania. In addition, 180-day-old honey from M. eburnea was sampled and compared with the younger 90-day-old honey. The production of honey varied from 900 to 1400 mL/colony/3 months for M. eburnea. When moisture and total sugars among the different species of Melipona were compared, no significant differences were observed. Neither were there significant differences between the M. eburnea honey at 90 and 180 days of maturation. Microbiological analyses for both treatments had values <0.3/g most probable number (MPN) of coliforms and organisms of fecal origin. Stingless bee honey can therefore be harvested after 3 months, by which time its physicochemical characteristics are stable and it is microbiologically suitable for human consumption.

摘要：秘鲁亚马逊地区的无刺蜂养殖（meliponiculture）及其蜂蜜生产，具备广泛应用与商业化开发的巨大潜力。当前制约该地区无刺蜂养殖推广的两大关键因素，分别是管理技术的匮乏，以及对蜂蜜品质认知的不足。本研究于秘鲁亚马逊地区的三个社区开展实验：将自然蜂巢中的亮无刺蜂（Melipona eburnea）蜂群转移至人工标准化蜂箱（rational hives）后，于饲养第90天时对其蜂蜜的产量、理化与微生物学特性进行评估；同时将亮无刺蜂的蜂蜜与大无刺蜂（Melipona grandis）、隐无刺蜂（Melipona illota）及泰坦无刺蜂（Melipona titania）饲养90天的蜂蜜进行对比；此外还采集了亮无刺蜂饲养180天的蜂蜜样本，与饲养90天的同种群蜂蜜开展对照分析。亮无刺蜂的蜂蜜产量为每群每3个月900至1400毫升。对比不同无刺蜂属物种蜂蜜的含水量与总糖含量，未发现显著差异；亮无刺蜂饲养90天与180天的蜂蜜之间，同样未观测到统计学意义上的显著差异。两类实验组的微生物学检测结果显示，大肠菌群与粪便源微生物的最大似然数（most probable number, MPN）均小于0.3/克。综上，无刺蜂蜂蜜可在饲养3个月后采收，此时其理化特性已趋于稳定，且微生物学指标符合人类食用安全标准。