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

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ciência rural 2020-01, Vol.50 (12)
Main Authors: Delgado, Cesar, Mejía, Kember, Rasmussen, Claus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agroforestry
AGRONOMY
Bees
Coliforms
Commercialization
consumption
Fecal coliforms
Honey
Laboratories
Melipona
Melipona eburnea
Melipona illota
Meliponiculture
Most probable number
Precipitation
production
quality
Seasons
stingless bees
Sugar
Titanium dioxide
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Summary: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
ISSN:0103-8478
1678-4596
1678-4596
DOI:10.1590/0103-8478cr20190697