Melipona Bee Experience in Maní: Protect & Paint

Maní's melipona bees, honey tasting, a painted hive box, and a meal in a Mayan house

A full-day class in Maní where you learn about the endangered melipona bee, taste its honey, decorate a wooden hive box that goes to local beekeepers, and eat organic dishes in an authentic Mayan home. A certified guide in English or Spanish leads the experience, which supports women in communities working to preserve this ancestral species. Pickup is included. The day runs 8 hours.

The experience

Maní, a Magic Town in the Yucatán, is where this experience unfolds around the melipona bee: a stingless species native to the region and now endangered. You'll meet the bees up close, learn how they feed and why their survival matters, and discover the herbal and medicinal uses of their honey. A honey tasting is built into the morning, and your guide will show you the two types of hive houses currently in use by local meliponiculturists.

The hands-on part comes next: you decorate a wooden box (one per four people) with materials provided, and that box is donated directly to the women's communities safeguarding the species. This is not a symbolic gesture. Your work goes to people actively breeding and protecting the bees. An air-conditioned vehicle with a certified guide picks you up and brings you to each stop, so logistics are handled.

Lunch happens in a traditional Mayan house where the chefs grow and harvest the organic ingredients themselves. You'll eat regional food and drink flavored water three times through the day. The experience is wheelchair accessible, and the operator can arrange vans with extra space for elderly travelers or those using mobility aids if you note it when booking.

What’s included

• Pickup and air-conditioned transport.
• certified guide in English or Spanish.
• close encounter with melipona bees and two types of hive houses.
• honey tasting.
• one decorated wooden hive box per four people, with decoration materials.
• regional organic meals and flavored water three times.
• all fees and taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SaturdayDepartures at 08:00, 08:30, 09:00 and 09:30Last departure this season: 22 Dec

AgesAdult (13 to 85 years) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 12 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcome

Operated by MMIncentives DMC

Is this one for you?Book this if you want a hands-on day that directly supports the women protecting an endangered species: the painted hive box you create goes straight to their communities, making the experience tangible rather than observational.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is a melipona bee and why does it need protection?

The melipona is a stingless bee native to the Yucatán and Mesoamerica, and it's now endangered. The experience teaches you how it feeds, its role in the local ecosystem, and why the communities of meliponiculturists, many of them women, are working to keep the species alive.

Do I get to taste the honey, and what else is included in the meals?

Yes, a honey tasting is part of the day. Lunch and two other times you're served flavored water and regional food made from organic ingredients the chefs grow themselves in a Mayan house. All meals and drinks are included.

What does decorating the hive box actually mean, and where does it go?

You paint and decorate a wooden box (one per four people) with materials the operator provides. That box is then donated to the communities of meliponiculturists, so your work directly supports the women protecting the bees.