Stingless bees: new regulations boost sustainable honey production in Brazil

The Pará State Department of Environment and Sustainability (Semas) has implemented new regulations for the local bioeconomy, focused on honey production with native stingless bees (ANSF). The resolution simplifies environmental licensing for meliponiculture – the name given to the activity – and encourages the preservation of these bees. In addition to being able to raise and manage stingless bees, meliponiculturists in Pará can sell hives, products and byproducts, such as honey, propolis and wax. This regulation transforms the activity, giving small producers a leading role in the honey production chain and giving greater added value to their products. Adcleia Pereira Pires, honey producer and founder of the Eiru Su meliponiculture site, celebrates the progress. “After years, we finally have a resolution that not only makes the activity official, but also guides producers on how to formalize their participation in the market, guaranteeing rights and legal security,” she says. ...