African stingless bees’ diversity, ecology, and behavior
Abstract
African stingless bees (ASBs; Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) play important roles in natural and agricultural ecosystems, contributing significantly to pollination and biodiversity conservation. Additionally, they produce species-specific honeys, which are important as a source of income and traditional medicine. Stingless bees exhibit complex behavioral diversity, including social organization, foraging, nesting, communication, reproduction, and defense, to survive in tropical environments. Despite their ecological and economic importance, studies on ASBs' behavior remain limited. Efforts have been made to describe ASBs in terms of their pollination behavior, domestication technology, nest architecture, nest sites, chemical ecology (hive product characterization), and taxonomy (using morphological, morphometric, chemical, and molecular tools). Together, these studies have revealed their unique ecology and socioeconomic relevance. We performed a systematic literature search across databases, such as Research for Life and Google Scholar, to present emerging findings and gaps in ASB taxonomy, traditional knowledge, and colony behavior (reproduction and caste determination, foraging, defense, and chemical communication).