What Would Happen If Melipona Bees Disappeared?

A future we can still avoid

Most people don’t know about the melipona bee, much less everything we would lose if it disappeared. This stingless species, native to Mexico, has been raised by the Mayan people for centuries. Beyond producing honey valued for its medicinal properties, it plays a fundamental role in ecological balance and cultural preservation.

This blog seeks to inform clearly, raise awareness, and offer practical solutions to protect it. Because there is still time to act.

The symbiotic relationship between the melipona bee and native plants

The Melipona beecheii, known as xunán kab in the Mayan language, is a stingless bee that lives in natural hives inside hollow logs called jobones. It pollinates more than 60 native species such as white sapote, chacá, ramón, flor de mayo, and yashnik.

These species are key for forest regeneration and as food for wild animals. During a talk on the subject at Xel-Há, veterinarian Manuel Vázquez highlighted that if meliponas disappear, many plants would stop reproducing—and with them, the entire ecosystem would be affected.

Can you imagine a world without watermelons and coffee?

Learn about the melipona bee and its ancestral importance

Meliponas are essential pollinators for medicinal, fruit, and timber plants in tropical ecosystems. Their work enables the natural regeneration of the forest, soil fertility, and the feeding of birds, bats, and other animals. They also sustain water cycles and keep biodiversity in balance. Caring for them is caring for the forest.

The melipona in danger

Today, meliponas face multiple threats: pesticide use, deforestation, urbanization, climate change, and competition with European bees. Their low production (1.5 to 2 liters per colony per year) makes them less attractive commercially, but far more valuable ecologically. It is estimated that in some regions of the southeast, up to 90% of traditional hives have been lost. Protecting them is urgent.

Climate change is altering the natural flowering calendar. Higher temperatures affect larvae inside the nest, and nectar shortages weaken colonies. Recent studies predict that their geographic distribution will continue to decline unless conservation measures are implemented soon.

A living heritage: meliponiculture

Raising meliponas is an ancient tradition. The INAH has recorded evidence of meliponiculture dating back more than 1,200 years. In present-day Mayan communities, the Xunán Kaab ceremony is still alive: the jobones are opened, balché (a ceremonial drink made from tree bark and honey) is offered, and protection for the earth is requested. Honey is shared as a symbol of community, health, and gratitude.

What can I do to help bees from home?

Join the cause!

Discover 5 simple actions you can take in your community to protect them and enjoy the ecological benefits they bring.

How to make a handmade hive box

To support native urban bees:

• Use untreated, recycled wood.
• Ensure shade and good ventilation.
• Place it 1.5 m above the ground.
• Do not artificially introduce bees.
• Consult a meliponiculturist for technical guidance.

The melipona doesn’t buzz loudly or demand attention. Yet its presence guarantees ecosystem health, the continuity of cultural practices, and access to a millenary medicinal honey. Protecting it means protecting the balance between nature, tradition, and the future.

And although it may seem like a distant cause or exclusive to rural communities, we can also act from home. Hosting native bees in urban spaces such as gardens, terraces, or patios not only helps conserve them but also improves our environment:

• Enhances flowering of ornamental and native plants
• Supports production in family and school gardens
• Reduces the need for pesticides
• Strengthens environmental education and connection with nature

Acting today is simpler than it seems: planting a flower, sharing knowledge, caring for the small. Because when we protect the melipona bee, we also protect who we are and how we want to live.