Cátedra de Ecología General y Laboratorio de Palinología, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Alberdi 47, (4600), San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina.
Instituto de Biología Subtropical, IBS-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Asoc. Civil CeIBA, Bertoni 85, (3370), Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2018 Apr 11;14(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s13002-018-0222-y.
The order Hymenoptera comprises melliferous insects (bees, wasps and bumblebees); among them, stingless bees comprise a diverse group of eusocial insects present in tropical and subtropical areas. Of a total of approximately 500 species, 400 are found in the Neotropics. On the continent of America, before the introduction of Apis mellifera, these insects represented the main source of honey and wax. In Argentina, ethnobiological investigations had been carried out on this group of insects, principally in the Atlantic Forest and Chaco regions. Out of a total of 33 species, only 14 were recorded for use or breeding. In the Yungas, however, there are no ethnobiological studies analyzing this group of species, although the use of their products is mentioned in different ethnobotanical works. This paper studies the knowledge and uses of melliferous insects by the inhabitants of the village of Baritú and surrounding.
Information on location, management and duties assigned (e.g., preparation and administration) to deal with bee products like honey, pollen, wax and propolis was obtained through semi-structured interviews. Besides, reference material was collected to identify melliferous insects known and used in the region.
Fifteen ethnospecies were identified and grouped locally according to their defensive behavior. The culturally most important species is the stingless bee Plebeia sp. nov.-mansita-, in terms of frequency of citations and diversity of uses, and among those that sting, the honeybee Apis mellifera-extranjera-. Honey, pollen, wax, and propolis of Plebeia sp. nov. had the highest current frequency of use. Honey is used in food (incorporated at pure state, as a complement and in drinks), as nutraceutical food and in medicinal preparations. In addition, it is an important resource for marketing during the warm season, infusions being the main mode of administration. Pollen is used as a supplement for food and alcoholic drinks, wax mainly in candle making, and propolis.
The data obtained in this study complements the information available in ethnobotanical studies carried out in the region. The present study is the first on melliferous insects in the area. A new species of stingless bee the genus Plebeia was registered, and it was observed that the known distribution of others has increased.
膜翅目包含有蜜源昆虫（蜜蜂、胡蜂和熊蜂）；其中，无刺蜂是一个多样化的群体，分布在热带和亚热带地区。在大约 500 个物种中，有 400 种分布在新热带地区。在美洲大陆，在引入西方蜜蜂之前，这些昆虫是蜂蜜和蜂蜡的主要来源。在阿根廷，对这组昆虫进行了民族生物学调查，主要在大西洋森林和查科地区。在总共 33 种中，只有 14 种被记录为用于养殖或使用。然而，在 Yungas 地区，没有对这些物种进行民族生物学研究，尽管在不同的民族植物学著作中都提到了它们的产品的使用。本文研究了 Baritú 村及其周边地区居民对蜜源昆虫的认识和利用。
通过半结构化访谈获取有关位置、管理和职责分配（例如，蜂蜜、花粉、蜡和蜂胶的制备和管理）的信息。此外，还收集了参考资料，以识别该地区已知和使用的蜜源昆虫。
确定了 15 种民族物种，并根据其防御行为在当地进行了分组。文化上最重要的物种是无刺蜂 Plebeia sp. nov.-mansita-，根据引用的频率和用途的多样性，在有刺的物种中，西方蜜蜂 Apis mellifera-extranjera-是最重要的。Plebeia sp. nov. 的蜂蜜、花粉、蜡和蜂胶的当前使用频率最高。蜂蜜用于食品（纯蜂蜜、作为补充物和饮料）、作为营养食品和药用制剂。此外，它是温暖季节营销的重要资源，而草药茶是主要的给药方式。花粉用作食品和酒精饮料的补充物，蜡主要用于制作蜡烛，而蜂胶则用于制作药品。
本研究获得的数据补充了在该地区进行的民族植物学研究中可用的信息。本研究是该地区首次对蜜源昆虫进行的研究。记录了一种新的无刺蜂 Plebeia 属物种，并观察到其他已知分布的增加。
