Analysis of productivity from four stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) and forages in urban forest, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Budiaman, Rahman AF, Nurhayati, Jumadi NH, Khatima K, Prastiyo A. 2025. Analysis of productivity from four stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) and forages in urban forest, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Asian J For 9: 144-151. Non-timber forest products that are widely used by the community as additional income and are easy to do are stingless bee cultivation (meliponiculture). The productivity of stingless bees in several species is still not widely studied, and it is important to know the potential of stingless bee species that can be used for honey production and other products. This study aimed to compare the productivity of four stingless bees in the urban forest (Awani Bee Garden), South Sulawesi. The analysis used in this study was One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and descriptive analysis. The results showed that Tetragonula sapiens (Cockerell, 1911) had the highest productivity in the number of honey pots (50.50±6.97), number of brood cells (601.22±59.71), honey production (15.72±1.35 g), and propolis production (29.01±1.99 g). In contrast, Tetragonula sarawakensis (Schwarz, 1937) had the lowest productivity. Nest temperature was strongly related to productivity parameters, namely, the number of honey pots (0.853), the number of brood cells (0.857), honey production (0.942), and propolis production (0.956), while nest humidity had a weak relationship. PCA analysis showed that nest temperature, honey production, propolis production, and number of brood cells dominated PC1 (74.1%), with T. sapiens close to optimal productivity. The availability of 27 species of forage plants, which are important sources of nectar, pollen, and resin for the bees, supported these results, such as Mangifera indica L. and Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg. Of the four types of stingless bees studied, the best cultivated in the urban forest area was T. sapiens species, with almost all the highest production. These results emphasize the importance of managing nest conditions and feed diversity in supporting stingless bee productivity.

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