Stingless bees

[bobba]

Humm.....

No faffing with bee suit, no worrying about other people getting stung, kids could come and watch the hives being opened. There are many reasons they would be great.

However, it never occurred to me until reading this thread that stings add danger, and danger makes it exciting. I am still a noob bee keeper and have never had a mentor, and must confess I still have a little fear every time I open a hive.

My of my craziest bee keeping moments was when I dropped a super and the frames rolled out. My smoker decided that was the appropriate moment to go out, so after struggling for a bit and getting stung 3 times, I retreated to fire up the smoker, then finished up. This is the only time I have been stung while inspecting a hive. Oddly enough this is one of my fondest bee keeping memory's and because people always ask if I have bee stung, one I often recall. But strangely enough, if bees did not sting, this incontinent would not be of notice.

Also if our bees were stingless, I think so many people would keep them it would drastically reduce the value of honey.

 

[Tuma_Stingless_Bee]

Stingless bees have so many spieces. I got the biggest one and also the smallest of spieces. One log can have a least around 600ml to 1200 ml of honey.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I’m not sure our climate would suit stingless bees .

It doesn't

 

[victor meldrew]

It doesn't

Didn’t think so .

 

[Tuma_Stingless_Bee]

The giant of Stingless bee (Trigona Thoracica) is not aggressive and you can touch it and not biting you.

But Stingless bee Terminata extremely aggressive will swamp you with painful bites and get in to your hairs, nose, ears and literally worst then bees. I got one of this spieces.

The Stingless bee honey taste sweet sour taste. Actually I like the taste over ordinary honey.

 

[Tuma_Stingless_Bee]

Bee's with no sting...

Not a good idea imho - How would they defend their hives against wasps?

Had enough problems with wasps attacking one colony this year, its looking doubtful they will build up enough to make it through winter now without putting them into a nuc and giving them a candy board and hand filling a frame.

If you had experience with aggressive Stingless bee Terminata. They will swamp you and get into your hairs, ears, nose and your eyes. Their bites are very painful. They cut your hairs and get into your skull n keep biting.
I got only one of this spieces because of very aggressive, but the honey is very special taste.

 

[Monbees]

If you had experience with aggressive Stingless bee Terminata. They will swamp you and get into your hairs, ears, nose and your eyes. Their bites are very painful. They cut your hairs and get into your skull n keep biting.
I got only one of this spieces because of very aggressive, but the honey is very special taste.

Stingless bees? I would cease to be a beekeeper within a year due to wasps.

 

[Apple]

Stingless bees have so many spieces. I got the biggest one and also the smallest of spieces. One log can have a least around 600ml to 1200 ml of honey.

Newquay Zoo had some stingless bees at one time but I think the leafcutter ants took them out?

 

[Tuma_Stingless_Bee]

You can see my stingless bee Trigona Thoracica on my YouTube. I literally recorded almost an hour in the morning, to see what their activitie.
Stingless bee Trigona Thoracica

 

[Tuma_Stingless_Bee]

 

[Erichalfbee]

I just voted then realised this thread was over ten years old

 

[Fritillary]

Am happy with stringless beans but I think bees need their sting...

 

[oxnatbees]

Tuna, I once heard of hair cutter bees which could bite. When they attack us, the worst that happens is, they snipyour hair. Do you keep these?

How do you extract honey? Crush & strain?

I saw small, stingless bees in the Amazon. They protected the nest entrance vversus ants with sticky propolis-like goo.

Strictly speaking, if you GM'd Am bees to have no sting, you might end up with a queen with no ovipostor!

 

[CaptainCymru]

I think the stingless bee's that have been mentioned do unfortunately come with a pretty nasty bite . I imagine something along the lines of a horse fly on steroids.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Tuna, I once heard of hair cutter bees which could bite. When they attack us, the worst that happens is, they snipyour hair. Do you keep these?

How do you extract honey? Crush & strain?our the honey ot

I saw small, stingless bees in the Amazon. They protected the nest entrance vversus ants with sticky propolis-like goo.

Strictly speaking, if you GM'd Am bees to have no sting, you might end up with a queen with no ovipostor!

they store their honey in a totally different way to AMM, in little pods, grouped around the central brood nest (you can see the eggs in the third picture you just go in to the 'hive' (usually take the lid off) burst the honey pods with a sharp stick then pour the honey out, sprinkle a little maize flour around so that the colony doesn't get too sticky with the remains, then close up until next time. In Tanzania, they harvest
about half to one litre a month this way

 

[tawny]

I always remember when I was new to bee keeping that if the bees did not sting all you would have is a box of flies..

 

[Frizzaldo]

I think stings act as a somewhat necessary barrier to entry. new beekeepers understand that its a serious undertaking. otherwise I think you have everyone doing it on a whim and end up with a lot of neglected hives ...a bit like those people who buy flow hives and then realise there is actually a lot more to beekeeping than turning the honey tap on

 

[Tuma_Stingless_Bee]

I got 5 different stingless bee species. The most aggressive one is Trigona Terminata. You need to wear bee protector to harvest their honey.

 

[Erichalfbee]

These are all absolutely fascinating.

 

[E&MBees]

I got 5 different stingless bee species. The most aggressive one is Trigona Terminata. You need to wear bee protector to harvest their honey. View attachment 23864View attachment 23866View attachment 23866

Do they construct their nest from wax, or something else? It’s hard to tell from the photos. It looks almost resin like.