Every rose may have its thorn, but not all honey comes with a sting. In Peru, the efforts of one family to protect the stingless bee are part of the crucial fight to save the pollinator.
In January, The New York Times detailed how Heriberto Vela went from extracting honey from stingless bee nests with his father during childhood to managing 76 nests with his family.
Many Indigenous Peruvians, like Vela, use honey as a natural medicine, but deforestation in the Amazon has begun to destroy the stingless bees' natural habitats. Chemical pesticides and warming global temperatures have also played a role, while invasive honey bees, which are beneficial in their native areas, have negatively affected the stingless species in Peru.
At this time, the South American country lists the stingless bee as a "species of national interest," per the Times, which limits legal recognition and has hindered potential funding for sustainable practices and preservation. Kety del Castillo, an Indigenous beekeeper, told the publication that she lost 10 nests after neighbors sprayed pesticides near her home.
However, people are working to both protect the bees and change policy.
"We are all involved," Mechita Vásquez, an Indigenous beekeeper in San Martín, told the Times of the rise of stingless beekeeping. "Women, men, even children — they really like it."
The Indigenous efforts to save the bee have also caught the eye of scientists, who are learning from and collaborating with the communities.
Dr. Vásquez Espinoza and Dr. César Delgado are two of those scientists. Richar Antonio, an Ashaninka Communal Reserve park ranger who travels to teach people about stingless beekeeping, is working with the pair to collect data on the stingless bee, per the Times.
The hope is that increased academic publication will shed light on how to best protect the winged creature and improve the database of knowledge to ultimately benefit humanity.
"Science can get confused, but Indigenous people don't," Dr. Delgado said of the scientists' learning curve regarding the stingless bee and the medicinal benefits of its honey. Dr. Espinoza added that the academic journals will credit Indigenous contributors as co-authors.
Last summer, Dr. Espinoza and Dr. Delgado also worked with Earth Law Center to petition Peru's Congress to officially recognize and protect the 170-plus stingless bee species across Peru and Amazonia. To this point, there is no update on any legislation.
"This lack of legal recognition poses an urgent threat to bees, their ecosystems, and the Amazonian communities that depend on them," the petition stated, recognizing the "long-standing collaborations and engagement" with Peruvian Indigenous communities, including the Asháninka, Kukama-kukamiria, Awajún and Ticuna.
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