Mielato de Stigmacoccus asper (Hemiptera: Stigmacoccidae): recurso melífero de bosques de roble en Colombia

The honeydew produced by the scale insect Stigmacoccus asper (Hemiptera: Stigmacoccidae) is recorded an important source for honey production by honey bees. S. asper was found on oak trees, Quercus humboldtii (Fagaceae) at eleven sites in the states of Boyaca and Santander, at 2,400-2,800 masl, in the Oriental Cordillera of Colombia. The oak forests where S. asper was found are highly disturbed and fragmented and trees with honeydew are most abundant on the edge of the fragments. Based on a palynological study, we estimated that honeydew is as important as floral nectar in honey production in the areas studied. In some localities and seasons, honeydew is the main ingredient of local honey. Presence of honeydew in honey was estimated by the amount of hyphae, spores (associated with sooty molds) and oak pollen found in it. Their abundance was compared with pollen from nectar-producing plants, thus allowing the classification of sampled honeys into three types: honeydew honey, floral honey and mixed honey. 67 types of nectar-producing or potentially nectar-producing plants were identified. Beekeepers reported increased production of scale insect honeydew during dry periods and described the honey produced from the honeydew of S. asper as being dark and with an intense caramel flavor. Honeydew from oak forests is suggested as a resource for honey, which has the potential to become a new apicultural product in Colombia. Furthermore, honeydew honey is an economically important non-timber product, and is also environmentally important because it promotes the conservation of native oak forests.