Regional native plants visited by Melipona beecheii (Apidae, Meliponini) as nectar and pollen resources in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

Although the Mayan bee Melipona beecheii is the most relevant stingless bee cultivated in the Yucatán Peninsula, few studies document the plants it visits to collect food resources. This work seeks to contribute to the knowledge of pollen spectra in pot-honey from M. beecheii in the Yucatán Peninsula, as well as to infer through a comparative palynological analysis between pot-honey and pot-pollen assemblages, whether, during storage, the Mayan bee includes pollen resources that could modify plant richness in pot-honey. We analysed 27 pot-honeys collected from meliponaries located in the Yucatán Peninsula: Quintana Roo (10), Yucatán (10) and Campeche (7). A total of 15,416 pollen grains were identified, belonging to 83 taxa across 38 botanical families. The highest species and family richness was found in Quintana Roo (62 taxa), followed by Yucatán (35 taxa) and Campeche (31 taxa). The most representative taxa in the palynological spectra were from the tree stratum: Bursera simaruba , Cochlospermum vitifolium , Eugenia aff. axilaris , Melicoccus oliviformis, Mimosa bahamensis, Metopium brownei , Senna racemosa var. racemosa and Solanum erianthum . In addition, 63% of the honey samples (n = 17) were identified by pollen overrepresentation from polliniferous taxa such as C. vitifolium , S. racemosa var. racemosa , Solanum and Mimosa species. Three species that produce both nectar and pollen due to their floral morphology were identified as key for bee nutrition, namely B. simaruba , G. floribundum and M. oliviformis . Palynological assemblages of stingless bee pot-honey suggest that M. beecheii workers exhibit a special pot-honey storage behaviour that increases its pollen diversity. Implications for conservation practices : The conservation of natural ecosystems where native vegetation thrives is a fundamental pillar for the survival of stingless bees and for the quality, diversity and sustainability of pot-honey production. The palynological profiles of M. beecheii pot-honey encompass a high diversity of native nectariferous, nectar-polliniferous and polliniferous plants, underscoring the importance of well-preserved natural ecosystems in supporting year-round resource availability for native bees in tropical regions.