The Rio Botanical Garden’s Meliponary marks his 10th anniversary as a leading center for the conservation of native stingless bees

Created on May 13, 2016, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden’s Meliponary celebrates its 10th anniversary as a leading center for the conservation of native stingless bees. The collection of hives of this species was established with the goal of conserving the insects’ nests, retrieved from dead branches and trees within the arboretum, thereby preserving the pollination process. The Meliponarium is also used for environmental education activities and scientific research.

Registered with the State Department of Agriculture, the Meliponary currently has 40 hives of 11 species found in the Atlantic Forest biome of the Southeast Region. This collection represents about 50% of the native stingless bee species registered in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Among them are the jataí (Tetragonisca angustula), the boca-de-sapo (Partamona helleri), and the Mirim droryana (Plebeia droryana).

In addition to these, five other species—the ground jataí (Paratrigona subnuda), Trigona braueri, the vulture (Trigona hypogea), the irapuá (Trigona spinipes), and the caga-fogo (Oxytrigona cagafogo)—occur exclusively in the arboretum. As a result, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is home to more than 70% of the stingless bee species recorded in the state, establishing itself as an important urban refuge for these native pollinators.