with the beekeeper upon death. In fact, a survey of a once-popular area of the Maya lowlands shows the rapid decline of beekeepers, down to around 70 in 2004 from thousands in the late 1980s. It is traditional in the Maya lowlands that the hive itself or parts of the hive be buried along with the beekeeper to volar al cielo, "to fly to heaven". Conservation efforts are underway in several parts of Mesoamerica. Stingless bee species that produce honey Austroplebeia spp. A. australis A. cassiae A. cincta A. essingtoni A. magna Cephalotrigona C. capitata Frieseomelitta F. doederleini F. varia Heterotrigona H. itama Melipona M. asilvai M. beecheii M. bicolor M. capixaba M. compressipes M. costaricensis M. crinita M. eburnea M. fasciata M. fasciculata M. favosa M. flavolineata M. fuliginosa M. marginata M. panamica M. quadrifasciata M. rufiventris M. scutellaris M. seminigra M. subnitida M. yucatanica Meliponula spp. M. bocandei Paratrigona P. subnuda Partamona P. seridoensis P. helleri Scaptotrigona S. bipunctata S. polysticta S. postica S. tubiba S. mexicana Schwarziana S. quadripunctata Tetragona T. clavipes T. quadrangula Tetragonisca T. angustula Tetragonula T. carbonaria T. hockingsi Trigona (genus) T. iridipennis (Tetragonula iridipennis) References External links International Bee Research Association Stingless honey bees of Brazil Mayan Stingless Bee Keeping: Going, Going, Gone? A Different Kind of Beekeeping Takes Flight