In Yucatán, the production of melipona honey is an integral part of the region’s rich cultural heritage. For centuries, indigenous Mayans and colonial-era beekeepers have carefully tended to these unique bees, harvesting their precious honey from the wildflowers and forests of the peninsula. The process is labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring beekeepers to trek through remote areas to extract the delicate nectar from the melipona hives. Once harvested, the honey is often infused with the subtle flavors of the local flora, resulting in a distinctive and prized product that is sought after by connoisseurs worldwide.
The ancient Mayans held the melipona honey in high esteem, not only for its sweet flavor but also for its medicinal and spiritual properties. They believed that the honey possessed curative powers, using it to treat various illnesses such as wounds, respiratory issues, and skin conditions. The honey was also used in rituals and ceremonies, where it was offered to their gods and goddesses to ensure fertility, prosperity, and good health. In some cases, the Mayans would even use the honey as a form of currency or bartering material, exchanging it for other valuable goods and services. Today, this ancient tradition is still celebrated in Yucatán, where beekeepers continue to produce melipona honey using traditional methods, honoring the rich cultural heritage of their ancestors, but nowadays this productive tradition is at high risk.
Various factors put the melipona bee at risk of extinction or significant population reduction, as they are exposed to different dangers when foraging in the field, such as flower contamination due to fumigation, burning of cornfields, or even pillage by American bees. According to Adolfo Rasauro Pech Canché, a prominent producer from the city, melipona bees face serious risks when they leave their natural habitat.
Pech Canché explained that he has around 15 beehives and 65 boxes where he produces melipona honey, but he knows that in the eastern region there are only about 12 producers who together have fewer than 200 productive beehives and boxes. He added that melipona bees can fly up to two kilometers in search of plants with flowers for nectar collection.
However, in the field, they face serious dangers such as flower contamination due to constant fumigation, which contaminates their food source and kills many bees that don’t return to their hives or beehives. Another recent problem is the burning of cornfields, which creates smoke that also affects the bees.
Adolfo Rasauro Pech Canché mentioned that melipona bees often encounter American bees when foraging in the field and dispute nectar from flowers. The American bees are more aggressive and decapitate the meliponas, considered noble bees because they don’t sting or bite like other bees.
Price of Honey
The action of American bees is seen as a form of pillage that puts melipona bees at a disadvantage. Another problem is the constant urbanization of communities, which leaves little room for beekeeping. If beekeepers take their beehives to a remote area, they risk theft, as Pech Canché himself experienced when he had his beehives stolen in Tixhualactún.
Given all these risks, it’s no surprise that the number of melipona bee producers is declining, as many consider it a losing endeavor. The production of honey is also time-consuming, taking up to a year to produce one liter, which makes the price of $1,500 per liter even more challenging.
