antonsrkn
Tetragonisca angustula
Stingless bees (Tetragonisca angustula) - Stann Creek District, Belize
I was rather enamored with these little bees that I encountered constructing their nest on top of and into an old rusted out piece of sugar mill equipment. I think I have keyed this species out to Tetragonisca angustula, a widespread species found from Central America into much of South America. Like other stingless bees they belong to the diverse tribe Meliponini, which contains over 500 species all of which are stingless! Like regular honeybees that are familiar to most of us in North America and Europe these bees produce honey, but in lesser quantities, this honey can be quite expensive and in some areas is worth as much as 10x more than regular honey bee honey! I imagine they must produce smaller amounts as well, especially considering their size, each individual is only a fraction the size of a regular honeybee. What we can see in this photo is bees working on constructing an entrance to their nest that is below the surface. The point of the chimney structure is to make it difficult for terrestrial predators such as ants to get in and raid the nest. The entrance itself is made up of something called propolis, a waxy sticky substance that repels ants and makes entry more difficult. Besides the tube, there are always soldier caste bees stationed at the entrance as well. These bees will bravely defend their nest from all kinds of invaders from other bees and insects to much larger intruders. While they don't sting, when threatened they persistently bite and some species can eject a irritating fluid. However in my experience almost all the stingless bees I have encountered have been placid and tranquil, with a notable exception of one nest (of a different species) I accidentally ventured too close to in Panama and had a head full of biting bees before I knew it!
Tetragonisca angustula
Stingless bees (Tetragonisca angustula) - Stann Creek District, Belize
I was rather enamored with these little bees that I encountered constructing their nest on top of and into an old rusted out piece of sugar mill equipment. I think I have keyed this species out to Tetragonisca angustula, a widespread species found from Central America into much of South America. Like other stingless bees they belong to the diverse tribe Meliponini, which contains over 500 species all of which are stingless! Like regular honeybees that are familiar to most of us in North America and Europe these bees produce honey, but in lesser quantities, this honey can be quite expensive and in some areas is worth as much as 10x more than regular honey bee honey! I imagine they must produce smaller amounts as well, especially considering their size, each individual is only a fraction the size of a regular honeybee. What we can see in this photo is bees working on constructing an entrance to their nest that is below the surface. The point of the chimney structure is to make it difficult for terrestrial predators such as ants to get in and raid the nest. The entrance itself is made up of something called propolis, a waxy sticky substance that repels ants and makes entry more difficult. Besides the tube, there are always soldier caste bees stationed at the entrance as well. These bees will bravely defend their nest from all kinds of invaders from other bees and insects to much larger intruders. While they don't sting, when threatened they persistently bite and some species can eject a irritating fluid. However in my experience almost all the stingless bees I have encountered have been placid and tranquil, with a notable exception of one nest (of a different species) I accidentally ventured too close to in Panama and had a head full of biting bees before I knew it!