Meliponula Ferruginea

Stingless Bees

Stingless bees can be found in most tropical or subtropical regions of the world, such as

Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia , and tropical America.

The type we are talking about here is called Meliponula Ferruginea.

Digging stingless bees from the termite hill. 

Here in Uganda, stingless bees especially the type which I am currently domesticating is not found in most parts of the country, actually it is not present in Nakasongola but very popular in Mukono!

On 03rd October 2015, I posted about our experience with stingless bees where I shortly wrote about them. They are about 8mm or more in body length.

Stingless bees are facing challenges

This block of soil has stingless bees inside.
It was dug from a termite hive

Stingless bees are likely to meet their extinct in the next 5 decades because their nests are destroyed so much because every time the honey hunters find them.

They dig apart the termite hill and usually the termites abscond from the hill or die and the bees die too. Here are photos during our transfer of stingless bees into a hive.

These chickens are eating the bees crawling on the ground

We transferred two hives yet we found three hives in one termite hill. The last hive was destroyed by the team which I worked with to eat honey. All bees that were crawling around helplessly were eaten by a hen and a cock (see in the photo). The nest was destroyed. This has been the practice until I chose to domestic them. My hive design has both a brood and honey chamber.

Sam and Isaac installing the hive up in he branches of a tree

Many community members especially farmers are poisoning termite hills which render them poisonous to bees too; poison kills bees and bees cannot nest in poisoned hills.

Urbanization is also a big challenge to bees where nectar sources and nests are cleared.

We are now looking forward at sensitizing the communities about the importance of bees in our crop production which include pollination and honey production.

I am happy to tell you that the bees got used with ease and they are happy to live in my boxes. They made repairs to damages caused on their pots and brood during transfer.

I will get back after my first harvest and the hives have become strong and productive.

The nest is broken into small pieces to access honey.
Some honey pots are put in the bowl while the brood is left on the ground (close to the bowl)