Stingless bees

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They are amazing bees. They don't build comb the same as honeybees do, but in a horizontal spiral formation. the brood nest is the bit in the middle which looks a bit like a cabbage (you can see the eggs in picture 2) and the pollen and honey are stored in little pea sized pods in separate corners on the periphery. Once a month, the beekeeper takes the box down removes the lid, then with a sharp slim stick he (not many female stingless beekeepers in Tanzania) punctures all the honey pods then tilt the box to pour out all the honey, he then dusts the nest with maize flour so the bees don't get too stickied with the residue and closes them back up for another month. There are a few Tanzanian stingless beekeepers with hundreds of hives.
The honey has a higher water content than 'our' honey and has a refreshing, sometimes intense 'zingy' taste - like dropping a dab of sherbet on your tongue. There is a premium price as well - twice as valuable as forest honey.
I'll try and dig out a few more pictures but I think I have a thread on here already about Meliponiculture.
 
Ah I can already hear the HSE preparing another pronouncement to remove all risk from beekeeping.....
Can‘t have risk in our lives.

Cute little bees though.
 
When I was in Veracruz Mexico, they sent me to a stingless bee sanctuary. Three species of Melipona and three of Trigona. Each made their comb structures differently. The honey was thin with a slight vinegar flavor. Not bad, just different. The photo of the black and white entrance...I think Melipona Becheii. The entrance is just about the size of a bee. There was always on bee guarding the entrance hole. If a threat presented itself...such as ants...the bees would plug that little hole until the threat left.

I'll figure out this new photo posting bit next time. Sorry for the repeats.
 
How's it going in Tanzania? Is anyone managing to export? Is it possible to buy it in UK?
Sells well in Tanzania but I haven't heard of any attempts to export it (the water content for one thing would disqualify attempts to call it 'honey') they do export quite a bit of normal honey though.
 

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