The Stingless bees have scientific names of Tetragonula species (Trigona species). They are natively called the Kiwot, Lukot, Kiyot, Lukutan or Libog. Either the name Kiwot or Stingless bee will be used in this website.
The Stingless bees are about the size of an ant, yet have all the features of the honeybees except that they do not have a sting. The Philippines is blessed with having many species of this bee and they are (in some regions) often now the key remaining pollinator for agriculture. They typically make their colonies in old bamboo, and are frequently found around bamboo or wooden structures.
The top picture shows the relative size of a Kiwot and a Ligwan (Apis mellifera). The bottom picture is a close up of a Kiwot showing that it has a small ‘furry body’ which catches the pollen particles, and also has a pollen basket on its hind legs. The stingless bees collect pollen for food, and in doing so also pollinate the flowers they visit. This bee is drinking tiny drops of nectar, and some of this it makes into honey.
Studies of the foraging ranges of stingless bees have found that they can possibly fly over a kilometer from the colony, but also that they will visit much more frequently good pollen sources which are closest to the colony. Stingless bees are common visitors to flowering plants in the tropics, and they are known to visit the flowers of approximately 90 crop species. (1) They were confirmed to be effective and important pollinators of 9 species. They may make a contribution to the pollination of approximately 60 other species, but there is insufficient information to determine their overall effectiveness or importance. It is often inferred that their small size may mean that they are good pollinators for some particular flowers. (1) (3) (5)
In the Philippines it appears that because of their small size, and also because their colonies are usually quite small (fitting between the nodes of old bamboo for example) they are usually over-looked by most people. There are also small wasps (often with red or yellow markings) and other insects which Stingless bees are easily confused with and so colonies of bees might be destroyed. Removal of vegetation and replacement of older wooden buildings with concrete buildings gradually contributes to habitat loss and the use of pesticides and herbicides will influence populations. There are so many small insects in a tropical environment that only specialist entomologists might appreciate their relative population sizes.
Cultivation of Stingless bees & their use in agriculture
Stingless bees can be generally appreciated as valuable pollinators for a range of crops; an interesting example is an 80% increase in crop yield for Pili Nuts (7). The many species of Stingless bees contribute to the mix of insects that make up the pollination environment. Therefore it is logical for farmers to encourage more stingless bees by just ensuring that there are lengths of suitable bamboo around the land.
There is an increasing interest in hived colonies of Trigona biroi in particular which show good potential, although this is currently limited to the southern areas of Luzon. An informative guide is given in the UPLB book (2) and also in other publications (6) and in the following videos.
Trigona biroi form large colonies which can be hived and transported to aid pollination of mangos and other crops. The following video shows the splitting of a hived colony.
Gradually hived Trigona biroi colonies are being used in various agricultural regions of the Philippines, as interest grows in their value as pollinators and also as producers of pollen and propolis. It appears that Trigona biroi colonies will only multiple in numbers if they are provided with particularly suitable ‘hive dimensions’ and encouraged to do so. This means that colonies are unlikely to spread uncontrolled into the environment without management by ‘beekeepers’.
For the immediate future the native endemic bees are of pre-eminant importance for the national pollination requirements. This means that whatever Stingless bees are already present need to be appreciated and encouraged, in addition to the native honeybees.
References …
1) The role of stingless bees in crop pollination
by Heard T.A., Annual Review of Entomology 1999: 183-206
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15012371
2) Management of Native Bees – Trigona spp, Apis cerana, Apis dorstata
UPLB Bee Program 2009, 72 pages
3) Best management practices in Agriculture for sustainable use and conservation of pollinators
Sao Paulo University, Brazil – study on stingless bees
http://www.internationalpollinatorsinitiative.org/uploads/6-010.pdf
4) Pollination of Apis mellifera and Trigona biroi on the Productivity of Solanaceous Crops (Philippines)
Jose T. Travero et al
http://iserd.net/ijerd32/32099.pdf
5) Pollination of cultivated plants in the tropics
Edited by David W. Roubik
Food and Agriculture Organization: Bulletin 118 Pub: FAO 1995 194 pages
http://www.openisbn.com/free_ebooks/read_88712_Pollination_Of_Cultivated_Plants_In_The_Tropics
6) Stingless: The bees of the future – an article about stingless bees in the Philippines
http://www.bar.gov.ph/digest-home/4741-janmar2013-stingless-bees
7) Bech’s organic Pili Nut farm
http://organicpilinuts.com/stingless-bees/
Im from agusan del norte mindanao. I was amazed when i read about stingless honeybee in you website. I want to try culturing but i have no idea, can you help me please. I will wait for your reply. Thank you so much!
Hi Bong. There are quite a few internet sites that discuss stingless bees. Here is a good link that will give you quite a bit of information to start… http://teca.fao.org/discussion/afraid-stings-then-go-stingless-bees-learn-how-keep-stingless-bees-pollination-and
The university at Los Banos has done a lot of work on stingless bees, especially T. biroi.
Bong tabao,you can contact Apo Mariano Bee Farm.
Good job! At present i’m developing a small stingless bee farm in guinobatan, albay. May I known what kind of bee plants will i plant in my backyard to sustain food for my bees? thanks!
Hi, The little bees contribute to pollination of many fruit plants such as rambutan and mango. There are a few academic studies that have been done in the Philippines such as in the following link… http://iserd.net/ijerd32/32099.pdf
Hi. I’m Jan, from Baguio City. A few months ago, we found an insect colony attached to our bathroom wall near the window. The colony seems to be made out of mud, and the insects living in it look like small black bees. We’re not sure whether they are wasps, bees from the Trigona species, or some other type of insects. They might even be undiscovered species. We are also hesitant about getting rid of them because they might be among the endangered species, and removing them might be harmful to the ecosystem. They don’t seem to be aggressive. They also collect pollen as shown by some of them going back to the colony with pods of what seems to be pollen on their hind legs.
Basically, I am requesting for help in identifying the above-described insects and some advise on how to relocate them without causing them harm because we are planning on making renovations.
Please contact me through my email. I would be willing to provide pictures of the insects and their colony. Thank you so much.
Hi Jan. From your description they are probably a species of stingless bee. A good person to identify them is a specialist at the UPLB Bee Program. I will email you his address.
Hi im just starting to learn about bee farming and i have a stingless bee in my house here in sorsogon…. what is the right procedure to produce more stingless bees?
Hi Ringo,
It depends what species of bee you want to farm.
To generally encourage stingless bees for pollination etc, this can be done by having old bamboo with small holes in it.
If you want to farm the pollen and honey then you will need some form of opening box. For T. biroi there is quite a lot of info on this page..
http://beephilippines.info/stingless-bees/ to start with.
Hi ,where can I buy the best stingless honey?I’m in Manila.
Thanks
Hi Jenn,
Sorry I don’t know the best place for that.
Best regards
Julian
i can provide.350 pesos per 250ml. pure kiwot honey from sorsogon city
Hi, we sell stingless bee honey locally known as kiwot. also we sell wild pukyotan Honey. 09175349543
I got mine at the farm that runs http://www.milea.ph and it was well worth the education I received during my visit.
If I am not mistaken LIGWAN is Apis cerana. Apis mellifera is not endemic to the Philippines so it must have some other name not necessarily LIGWAN.. Correct me if I am wrong. Thanks.
Hello, I have been researching lately about bee culture, and so i have read articles about dr. cleafas cervancia and the stingless bees,..i would like to ask if there is any online tutorials about bee keeping because i`m located in Dolores, Eastern Samar and I have read that most of the bee keepers are situated in Luzon. Please help me start my own colonies of bees soon. Your reply would be much appreciated. God Bless you!
Hi Ailyn,
If you are still interested about the stingless bee culture, I know a place in Tunga, Leyte who does the same, the Beengo Farm. You can search online and Gary’s contact number can be found there. I too is interested but I am still working and I need some more time before I can embark on the same. Please update me should you be able to undertake the culture as I may also need some information in the future.
Marifel
I am from Quezon City
Where can I buy these bees?
Hi Verch,
Try UPLB Bee Program or Milea Bee Farm. They have website and facebook page.
Hi Julian, Thank you for the tons of information in this website. I hope I can have my stingless bees soon.
Anyone interested in bee keeping from mindanao can contact me @ keysinscenicvalley@yahoo.com or https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=251284821883588&id=250389878639749
Did you sale.them at sm malls? Or you have stores of kiwot honey at pasay?
SM still is stocking illegal CEM honey – probably trying to get rid of stock.
I don’t sell any honey I’m afraid. All our honey is used by family and friends.
Hi i am from ilocos norte.. where can i buy?
Hi, I have done quite a lot of research about the stingless bee. And for I have already acquired a working knowledge to start my first colony activation. Actually, I already have managed to mark at least 3 colonies, they are just waiting for me to be picked up and transferred to a well-planned hives. I am just waiting to for my vacation leave by next week perhaps. I will be sharing soon a video if ever. Just can’t wait. wo hooo. By the way, I am planning to have at least 20 colonies as a starter. Just wondering how much will be the price for their honey here in phils.
How can i get stingless bees here in texas
I would love to have some shipped please
mdm106@yahoo.com
michael mcelroy
125 rowland place
tyler, Texas 75701
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I’m from subic, is there any bee supplier close to subic and can teach me also how to do the beekeeping? Thanks
Hi, i am Rondon Bellen from basud cam.norte. I have many stingless bees colonies, and to those who are interested to buy, here is my contact no. 09488320270
What is the difference between Trigona spp and Tetragonula spp?
Good Morning! I am Jobert Rosero from Department of Trade Masbate, I am currently preparing for a project proposal and the main topic is “Stingless Bee”. My plan is to develop a bee cultivation here in our province because currently we don’t have one here. As I have read from the past previous comments the practice of cultivating these type of species are very good in the ecosystem and as an agricultural land it is very promising to see this come to fruition. May I ask for referrals for the persons and institutions who can help me with my proposal? Thank You!
Hi I’ve started bee culture in batangas mainly apis cerana or laywan and lukot. I want to learn more about bee culture. Do you conduct training seminar here in batangas?
Hello! Why is it recommended to use coconut shell as a hive of stingless bee?
I would like to put up stingless bee hives in my small coconut plantation where I planted rambutan. Where can I buy hives and maybe ask them to “install” the hives in my small farm in San Pablo City?
Hi, anyone knows where to buy colonie of stingless bee in cebu area ? Thanks
Hello sir. I am having my undergraduate thesis about stingless bee honey, and i came across this article of yours and ill get this as one of my references will you mind helping me how to properly cite this article? Thank you.
Hello sir. I am having my undergraduate thesis about stingless be honey and i came across this article of yours, i want to cite this article will you mind helping me how to properly cite this? Thank you very much.
Good day! Do you have more videos of tutorials in taking care of bees? Where can I buy a Queen bee? How much? If there is a hive of bees, and I took some of the bees, could day make their own queen???? Thank you for the response😉 I’m really interested in bee farming.
I am planning to put up a bees production. How could I start? Thank you
I have 10 colonies of SB in Sierra Madre range. I would appreciate if any info, scientific publication or technology available for public use I be send and email. Thanks
Ligwan is Apis Cerana the Philippines Oriental Bee not Apis Mellifera which is a Europian Bee.