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-THE BORACAY ISLAND LIFE-
The Mexican honey wasp (Brachygastra mellifica) is unique among wasps because it produces and stores honey, similar to honeybees, though the nests are constructed from paper and the honey is housed in wax compartments within.
These wasps build large nests in the canopies of trees and shrubs, ranging from 1 to 9 meters above the ground. They are native to southeastern Arizona, the southernmost counties of Texas, Mexico, and Central America.
Their diet consists of various arthropods like beetles, caterpillars, aphids, and various larvae, playing a valuable role in regulating insect populations on the Mesoamerican People milpa system.
These unique wasps, were crucial pollinators of avocado trees. Their hairy bodies facilitate pollen collection and transfer as they forage for nectar, contributing to the pollination of a variety of plants, both wild and cultivated.
These wasps coexistence polinators, including native bees (such as the stingless Melipona bee, also known as Xunan Ka'ab). butterflies, moths, and others.
The harvesting of wasp nests is tied to traditional knowledge about the lunar cycle; the Popoluca, for example, harvest when the moon is between its last quarter and waning gibbous, as nests are believed to be full of honey and| larvae at this time.
Honey and larvae has been adelicacy and food source for various Mesoamerican peoples for generations, particularly for groups like the Popoluca in Mexico and Maya in Guatemala.
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