Stingless Bee Honey Harvesting, Processing, Packaging, and Storage

Abstract

Stingless bees produce honey from the nectar of flowering plants. This honey is more liquid than that of honey bees due to the high water content. Additionally, each stingless bee species has specific honey characteristics including taste and colour. This specificity is brought about by the variation of plants visited by the different species. Stingless bees produce highly medicinal honey and propolis. The two products have been shown to have antioxidants and antibacterial activities and thus are of economic and medical importance. These properties have made stingless bees popular in addition to the appealing aroma and flavour. Harvesting is the art of removing stingless bee honey from the hives, and consequently from the honey pots. Stingless bee honey harvesting involves removing honey pots very carefully using a knife, placing the pots in the bowl, and then closing the hive. The pots are then squeezed or pricked using a sharp object to remove the honey. The honey is then put in a clean food grade container for further processing.