Enfoques productivos y sostenibles mediante el aprovechamiento de abejas nativas sin aguijón en Calarcá – Quindío”

Abstract

Productive and sustainable approaches are proposed for the utilization of native stingless bees in the municipality of Calarcá, Quindío. The biology and ecology of these bees are described, highlighting their crucial role as key pollinators in preserving the ecological balance of Andean and tropical ecosystems. Additionally, the main aspects of meliponiculture—the technical rearing and management of these bees to harvest honey, pollen, and other products—are outlined; these practices contribute to food security, strengthen social ties, promote environmental education that fosters ecosystem and biodiversity conservation, and generate productive alternatives. Practices for obtaining colonies and the use of modern, technical hives for their management were defined. Existing cases of sustainable stingless bee utilization in Colombia were reviewed. For this specific case, the geographical features of Calarcá and the native flora were considered, and the native bee genus *Tetragonisca angustula* is described; established colonies of this species in technical hives served as the basis for identifying utilization approaches, which were classified into four areas of action: Production and Technical Management, covering the commercial use of derived products, hives, and established colonies to reduce extraction from natural ecosystems; Ecosystem Services and Agroecology, leveraging biological potential through targeted pollination to boost crop yields and creating sanctuaries in protected areas; Social Management, which harnesses human capital by recovering the ancestral knowledge of older adults and training women and local entrepreneurs to ensure generational succession; and Research and Development, acting as a scientific-regulatory hub that translates technical evidence to promote knowledge and strengthen public policies for environmental protection.