Melittology - New Advances beckons curious minds to immerse themselves in the latest revelations within the realm of bee research. The journey starts with the exploration of the antimicrobial properties of natural honey, where the chemical composition, antibacterial activities, antifungal effects, and antiviral properties of honey are meticulously unraveled. It invites readers to transcend the scientific realm and delve into a narrative woven with historical, sacred, and holistic dimensions of honey that explores how honey evolves beyond its scientific attributes, transforming into a cultural and spiritual entity. Readers are then transported to the unique world of honey derived from Butia yatay palm savannas to learn about the distinctive characteristics of honey from this botanical and geographic origin. Moreover, the book sheds light on vital aspects of meliponiculture, emphasizing the imperative need for conservation efforts and explores the diversity, distribution, nesting, and foraging behavior of stingless bees, offering insights crucial for their preservation. It also provides an in-depth examination of symptoms, diagnosis, and management of various afflictions, underscoring the ongoing need for research, monitoring, and education for the preservation of honeybee populations. The book also delves into strategies to manage different microbial diseases, along with pests of honeybees, and illuminates the potential and prospects of biological control, offering sustainable solutions to combat challenges. It also uncovers the therapeutic potential of propolis in the dental realm, outlining its multifaceted applications in various dental contexts. Finally, the book explores diverse aspects, including the sociocultural importance of indigenous bees, historical uses of propolis, and the chemical composition of geopropolis, and provides deep insight into ancient wisdom as well as the modern medicinal applications of bee products. Melittology - New Advances invites readers to embark on an enlightening journey, fostering a profound appreciation for the integral role bees play in our world.

Beekeeping and Bee Conservation - Advances in Research presents current issues in the field of bees in multiple contexts and ties together experiments conducted by some of the world's most renowned researchers. The authors' point-of-view and own research results are described in a clear and objective way, which is very useful for beginners in the study of the subject and is likewise valuable for the more experienced on the subject, who may find new hypotheses to be tested and broaden their future prospects in the field. The book is wide in scope, focusing largely on Apis mellifera. Topics range from genetics, to pollination studies, to the conservation of bees. It includes a chapter dedicated to stingless bees and another for bumble bees.

This book covers pot-pollen—the other product, besides honey, stored in cerumen pots by Meliponini. Critical assessment is given of stingless bee and pot-pollen biodiversity in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Topics addressed include historical biogeography, cultural knowledge, bee foraging behavior, pollination, ecological interactions, health applications, microbiology, the natural history of bee nests, and chemical, bioactive and individual plant components in stored pollen. Pot-pollen maintains the livelihoods of stingless bees and provides many interesting biological products that are just now beginning to be understood. The Meliponini have developed particular nesting biologies, uses of building materials, and an architecture for pollen storage. Environmental windows provide optimal temperature and availability of pollen sources for success in plant pollination and pollen storage. Palynological composition and pollen taxonomy are used to assess stingless honey bee pollination services. Pollen processing with microorganisms in the nest modifies chemical composition and bioactivity, and confers nutraceutical benefits to the honey and pollen widely relished by native people. Humans have always used stingless bees. Yet, sustainable meliponiculture (stingless bee-keeping) projects have so far lacked a treatise on pot-pollen, which experts provide in this transdisciplinary, groundbreaking volume.

This issue of ZooKeys celebrates the 75th birthday of Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, a pioneer in the palaeontology and phylogeny of Hymenoptera, as well as a leader generally in insect systematics and evolution. Born in Moscow, Russia, on 24 September 1936, he developed his passion for Hymenoptera at an early age. After completing his degrees in 1960 he joined the Arthropoda Laboratory in the Paleontological Institute of the USSR (now Russian) Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and worked his way from Technician to the Head of the laboratory, in this capacityÿ leading the most productive group of paleoentomologists for 28 years. He has co-authored and edited several keystone books on insect paleontology and evolution, including History of Insects (2002), the first large-scale work of its kind in English. Rasnitsyn served as the first President of the International Palaeoentomological Society, and was bestowed Honorary Membership by the Russian Entomological Society and in 2008 with the Distinguished Research Medal of the International Society of Hymenopterists. Herein colleagues from around the world have presented original contributions to the systematics of diverse insect orders, living and fossil, as a tribute to this pioneer of Hymenoptera and paleoentomological research. Numerous new taxa are described and their phylogenetic implications explored. A biographical sketch and a list of Rasnitsyn?s more than 360 scientific publications (spanning 52 years) are provided.

Beekeeping worldwide has seen remarkable development in the face of the growing demand for products from bees by consumers who demand increasingly innocuous products that do not harm the environment. However, it should be noted that, recently, problems have arisen in beekeeping production that could become restrictive factors for the worldwide development of beekeeping. This book includes, in simple and accessible terms, very relevant topics such as the effect of pesticides, the impact of diseases and their management, production and analysis of pollen present in honey, DNA analysis, and sustainable management, among others. This book is answering an expected need for accurate and international information for the productive sector.

The most up-to-date and authoritative resource on the biology and evolution of solitary bees While social bees such as honey bees and bumble bees are familiar to most people, they comprise less than 10 percent of all bee species in the world. The vast majority of bees lead solitary lives, surviving without the help of a hive and using their own resources to fend off danger and protect their offspring. This book draws on new research to provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview of solitary bee biology, offering an unparalleled look at these remarkable insects. The Solitary Bees uses a modern phylogenetic framework to shed new light on the life histories and evolution of solitary bees. It explains the foraging behavior of solitary bees, their development, and competitive mating tactics. The book describes how they construct complex nests using an amazing variety of substrates and materials, and how solitary bees have co-opted beneficial mites, nematodes, and fungi to provide safe environments for their brood. It looks at how they have evolved intimate partnerships with flowering plants and examines their associations with predators, parasites, microbes, and other bees. This up-to-date synthesis of solitary bee biology is an essential resource for students and researchers, one that paves the way for future scholarship on the subject. Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Solitary Bees also documents the critical role solitary bees play as crop pollinators, and raises awareness of the dire threats they face, from habitat loss and climate change to pesticides, pathogens, parasites, and invasive species.

Honey Analysis - New Advances and Challenges discusses advances in honey research. Topics include the physicochemical characteristics of honey from stingless bees, the therapeutic properties of honey, melissopalynological analysis as an indicator of the botanical and geographical origin of honey, and methods for authenticating honey. Written by experts in the field, this book provides readers with an indispensable source of information, assisting them in future investigations of honey and beekeeping.