Melipona interrupta

Melipona interrupta is a stingless bee species native to the Amazon basin that produces a distinctive medicinal honey valued by indigenous communities. Unlike the honey of Apis mellifera (the European honeybee), stingless bee honey is typically thinner, more acidic, and prized in traditional medicine.

No, Melipona interrupta is a stingless bee, meaning it does not have a functional stinger capable of piercing human skin like Apis mellifera. This is a characteristic shared by all species in the genus Melipona and related stingless bees (Meliponini), which are widely cultivated in tropical regions.

Indigenous communities in the Amazon basin traditionally cultivate Melipona interrupta in wooden hives or hollow logs in a practice known as meliponiculture. This form of beekeeping predates the introduction of European honeybees to the Americas and remains culturally and economically important in parts of Brazil and neighboring countries.

Melipona interrupta is native to the Amazon basin region of South America, where it nests in natural cavities such as tree hollows in tropical rainforest environments. Its range covers parts of Brazil and surrounding Amazonian areas where stingless bees are important pollinators of native flora.