“Ong dú” is the Vietnamese name for the group of stingless bees, which belong to the tribe Meliponini, in the family Apidae. More than 600 species are known worldwide, distributed mainly across tropical and subtropical regions. They live in organised colonies, build their nests from wax combined with plant resin, and store their honey in small natural honey pots.
In Vietnam, many stingless bee species have been recorded in genera such as Tetragonula, Lepidotrigona, Lisotrigona and Homotrigona. Stingless bees not only produce a honey with a distinctive aroma and a clean sweetness balanced by a light sourness, they are also important pollinators that help sustain crops and the diversity of the ecosystem.
Đất Rồng Stingless Bee Farm currently focuses on breeding, raising and supplying the yellow-bellied stingless bee – Lisotrigona furva. This is a small, gentle species that adapts well to Vietnam’s climate and is well suited to sustainable beekeeping that ties economic value to the protection of nature.