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INISEFOR CINAT Escuela de Ciencias Ambientales Las abejas sin aguijón son importantes polinizadores en regiones tropicales y subtropicales; están asociadas a la flora que les proporciona alimento, sitios para anidamiento, resinas, savia y exudados. Se buscó determinar la asociación entre abejas y flora en el sector cerro El Hacha (bosque primario intervenido) y sector Pocosol (bosque secundario) del Parque Nacional Guanacaste, donde se inventariaron los nidos en 33 parcelas de 20 x 20 m². Se colectó polen de plantas dentro de las parcelas y alrededor de los nidos (radio de 500 m) y se recolectaron y analizaron cargas corbiculares de polen de abejas atrapadas con redes entomológicas en la entrada de los nidos. En el cerro El Hacha se colectó polen de tres nidos de Scaptotrigona pectoralis y en Pocosol se colectó polen de dos nidos de Trigona fulviventris. Se obtuvo una densidad de 4.43 nidos/ha-1, de las especies: Tetragonisca angustula, Tetragona ziegleri, Plebeia frontalis y Trigona fulviventris. Los nidos se encuentran en los troncos de árboles, con preferencia por el Quercus oleoides, donde se halló el 50 % de estos. Las plantas alimenticias utilizadas por S. pectoralis en el cerro El Hacha, fueron: Cupania guatemalensis (30 %), Byrsonima crassifolia (21 %) y Cedrela odorata (15 %). Mientras para T. fulviventris en el sector Pocosol las plantas más importantes fueron Baltimora recta (26 %), Dorstenia contrajerva (9 %) y Desmodium sp. (9 %). Es evidente el importante papel que cumple la especie arbórea Quercus oleoides para la conservación de las poblaciones de estos insectos. Stingless bees are important pollinators in tropical and subtropical regions. They are associated with the flora that provides them with food, sites for nesting, resins, sap, and exudates. We sought to determine the association between bees and flora in the Cerro El Hacha sector (intervened primary forest) and the Pocosol sector (secondary forest) of the Guanacaste National Park, where the nests were inventoried in 33 plots of 20 x 20 m². Pollen from plants was collected within the plots and around the nests (radius 500 m). Corbicular charges of pollen were, also, collected and analyzed; they came from bees trapped with entomological nets at the entrance of the nests. In the Cerro El Hacha sector, pollen was collected from three nests of Scaptotrigona pectoralis, and in the Pocosol sector pollen from was collected from two nests of Trigona fulviventris. A density of 4.43 nests / ha-1 was obtained from these species: Tetragonisca angustula, Tetragona ziegleri, Plebeia frontalis, and Trigona fulviventris. The nests were found in the trunks of trees, with a preference for Quercus oleoides, where 50 % of them were found. The food plants used by S. pectoralis in Cerro El Hacha were the following: Cupania guatemalensis (30 %), Byrsonima crassifolia (21 %), and Cedrela odorata (15 %). While for T. fulviventris in the Pocosol sector, the most important plants were Baltimora recta (26 %), Dorstenia contrajerva (9 %), and Desmodium sp. (9 %). The important role played by the tree species Quercus oleoides for the conservation of the populations of these insects is evident. Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica Universidad de Federal do Pará, Brazil Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía (SINAC-MINAE), Costa Rica Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), México Instituto de Investigación y Servicios Forestales

At present, numbers of both wild and managed bee colonies are declining rapidly, causing global concern for pollination services. Stingless bees play an important ecological role as pollinators of many wild plant species and seem good candidates for future alternatives in commercial pollination. This paper reviews the effectiveness of stingless bees as crop pollinators. Over the past six years the number of crops reported to be effectively pollinated by stingless bees has doubled, putting the total figure on 18 crops. Eleven stingless bee species across six genera have been found to forage effectively under enclosed condi- tions, indicating the potential of stingless bees as pollinators of greenhouse crops. The biological features that make stingless bees strong candidates for commercial pollination services are discussed, together with their present limitations. The effects of natural vegetation and wild bees on crop yield are reviewed, and make a strong case for habitat conservation. agriculture / alternative pollinators / food crop / greenhouse / Meliponini