http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
Beekeeping in traditional agroecosystems of southern Mexico
For Mexico, there appears to have been four areas where the keeping of stingless bees was popular in pre-Columbian times. The headwaters of the semiarid Rio Balsas basin of Guerrero was one such area. Today, descendant populations of these aboriginal groups still maintain stingless bees, as well as the recently introduced European honey bee. Both types of bees are incorporated into subsistence agroecosystems and play vital roles in economic activities. Bee products are used as: sweeteners, alcoholic beverages, candles, medicinals, and in religion. Bees pollinate crops, and honey is sold in periodic markets. For communities becoming more market oriented, the expansion of beekeeping systems may be a vital alternative for obtaining cash resources when compared to the expansion of present-day milpas that rely upon increasing the use of energy inefficient cropping systems and precipitate environmental problems such as soil loss. The antiquity of beekeeping in traditional agroecosystems suggests, as does this dissertation, that bees are an important component in the system. Bees prefer disturbed environments, such as agricultural fields, and they are responsible for the pollination and increased production of some crops, such as cucurbits. Beekeeping is an integral component to traditional farming strategies and it may be that by utilizing such management strategies, as beekeeping, traditional farming peoples may be able to till the land for cash needs and not disrupt the ecological balance inherent in sustained agricultural yields.