Verde Mel Project Furthers Native Bees Protection

MOGI GUACU – The Verde Mel Project is setting a new goal of installing 50 new meliponaries – or collections of stingless bee beehives – by 2026 in Mogi Guacu, Brazil. The project, a partnership between Sylvamo, the world’s paper company, and the Atá Institute, focuses on increasing the native stingless bee population.

The Verde Mel project stimulates meliponiculture, a sustainable way to care for native stingless bees, which can help regenerate forests, increase biodiversity and pollinate crops. It also helps highlight honey and other essential Brazilian products.

By the end of 2022, the project multiplied 180 colonies of native bees, trained 45 rural producers and installed 12 meliponaries across cities in Sao Paulo and Mina Gerias.

The project is also publishing its second book, "Products of Native Bees: Characteristics, Techniques and Applications," to promote the sustainable management of native bees and unveil new information about what researchers have discovered.

Its first book, “67 Recipes With Honey From Native Bees,” promotes native bee conservation and recipes that use honey from chefs from across Brazil.