Stingless Bees

We failed with the Italian bees.  They seem to invite mites and worse, they all fall prey to various birds, especially the swifts.

We are now keeping local honey bees.  However, they are more aggressive and the stings are very painful. 

Now, we have found stingless bees in the farm in many places and are now trying to domesticate them.  There are at least three species that we have seen so far, producing a very rich aromatic honey.

These are the size of gnats and produce a dark colored very sweet honey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are red colored stingless bees which are the size of flies.  They produce copious amounts of propolis.

 

The bees quickly seal up the entrance of the box with propolis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The transferred bees are quickly acclimatising themselves to their new homes; coconut shells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These bees are ideal for urban homes.  They are stingless and produce better quality honey than the commercial honey that we have become used to.

 

 

 

 

Click on the pics for close-ups