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The stingless bees are one of the most diverse, attractive, fascinating, conspicuous and useful of all the insect groups of the tropical world. This is a formidable and contentious claim but I believe it can be backed up. They are fifty times more species rich than the honey bees, the other tribe of highly eusocial bees. They are ubiquitous in the tropics and thrive in tropical cities. In rural areas, they nest in a diversity of sites and are found on the flowers of a broad diversity of crop plants. Their role in natural systems is barely studied but they almost certainly deserve that hallowed title of keystone species. They are popular with the general public and are greatly appreciated in zoos and gardens. The chapters of this book provide abundant further evidence of the ecological and economic importance of stingless bees.
Recognizing the importance of invertebrate pollinators, the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Commission) at its Seventeenth Regular Session, in 2019, adopted its Work Plan for the Sustainable Use and Conservation of Microorganism and Invertebrate Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and decided to address pollinators, including honey bees, at its Nineteenth Regular Session. Building on global assessments addressing pollinators published in 2016 and 2019, respectively, by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and FAO, this study provides up-to-date information on the status and trends of invertebrate pollinators, maps relevant regional and international initiatives, and identifies gaps and needs.
"It is a masterpiece, an instant classic of entomology." -- Edward O. Wilson "This definitive reference by an acclaimed expert accounts for 1200 genera/subgenera and 16,000 species of bees in the world... Useful guide for entomologists, biologists, botanists, ecologists, and students." -- Southeastern Naturalist
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