But it's more than just smart, it's absolutely essential for people like the Kukama-Kukamiria, who now use it as food, a source of income, and medicine for everything from skin cuts to bronchitis.

Now, scientists working with these tribes are beginning to scratch the surface of the full extent the benefits this traditional bee husbandry, or 'meliponiculture' can have for people like the Kukama-Kukamiria, and the world at large.

Scientists such as Cesar Delgado Vasquez at the Institute for Investigations of the Peruvian Amazon, are working with indigenous groups as both teachers and learners; teaching them how to keep and raise stingless bees to produce their own honey without damaging wild nests, and learning about the immense value of this liquid medicine.