The stingless bee plays a key role in pollination and yield enhancement of
natural tropical plants and crops. The honey produced by stingless bee is unique and
fetches high price because of its medicinal property. They collect nectar and pollen mainly
from medicinal plants, low lying herbs and weeds having comparatively smaller flowers,
which are not commonly visited by Apis spp. The rich biodiversity and abundant flora of
the State is studied in relation to the foraging activity of stingless bees Trigona iridipennis
Smith for its nectar and pollen. The study indicated that stingless bees visited 99 plants
either for nectar or pollen or both. Out of these 99 plants recorded, 33 plants provided both
nectar and pollen, 46 plants provided nectar only and 20 plants provided pollen alone.
Keywords: Flora, foraging plants, Kerala, meliponiculture, nectar, pollen,
stingless bee, Trigona iridipennis.
