New Bee Regulation Puts Nosara’s Native Honey Producers on Edge

Native stingless bee honey producers in Nosara, like Luis Barrantes of El Soncuano, find themselves between a rock and a hard place due to a new regulation. This document, published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), restricts the number of hives and the species allowed for meliponiculture, making their livelihoods uncertain.

According to the regulation, only soncuanos (Scaptotrigona pectoralis) and mariola (Tetragonisca angustula) are permitted, with a cap of five hives for domestic use and 30 for commercial. Any producer with more hives is at risk of non-compliance, which could lead to informal operations and potential underreporting.

Barrantes, who started his practice five years ago, now faces the challenge of either downsizing his operation or going underground, as he does not meet the new regulatory requirements. The National Chamber of Meliponiculturists (CANAMEL) is also concerned, having submitted a request to include jicote gato (Melipona beecheii) and jicote barcino (Melipona costarricensis) in the approved species list.

For now, the 12-month period for producers to regularize their status and register with SINAC remains in effect, but the uncertainty looms large over the Nosara beekeeping community.