Native bees raising and conservation challenges in Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

Native bees have been raised in Mexico since the pre-Hispanic age. Considered as a symbol
of indigenous and peasanty cultural identity, native bees are related to the production of food
as pollinators of native plants and commercial plantations crops. Moreover, Totonacs considered
them as a divine gift and their honey as medicine. In Papantla, Veracruz, we intend to create
an inventory to identify all the people who dedicate themselves to beekeeping as a tradition
and custom, which was almost abandoned in 1970 due to the habitat destruction; hence the
importance of its conservation. Through questionnaires, interviews and photographic records,
the conditions under which this millennial tradition continues has been documented. Such
conditions are nowadays relevant owing to the crisis of pollinators and the degree of agro-environmental
deterioration. Therefore, it is necessary to use agroecological technologies that
contribute to the sustainability of peasant families.