The newly rising meliponiculture and research on stingless bees in China–a mini review

Stingless bees play a crucial role as pollinators in tropical/subtropical regions around the world with wide attention in recent years. However, scant information on Chinese stingless bees is available, due to insufficient studies and language barriers. In the present study, we aimed to combine historical studies, and summarized our recent studies to show the status of meliponiculture and research on stingless bees in China. Current knowledge we provided about the distribution of stingless bees in China indicates that a more intensive survey should cover some overlooked areas and larger regions in China. Also, new technologies for meliponiculture and stingless bee-related studies are required. Last but not least, the sustainable development of meliponiculture in China should be designed to benefit local people and wild pollinator conservation.