Narrow stingless bees - Tetragonisca angustula - not your average honey bee.

Three narrow stingless bees approach the entrance to their hive.  El Salvador.

One of the great reasons to travel is to see things, amazing things, things that are different from what you normally experience on a day-to-day basis.  And although I enjoy places, people, culture, and structures, what I get a real kick out of is wildlife.  Vertebrates, invertebrates, air, land, ocean, fresh water - it all presents an opportunity to discover life in a form I have not known.

Such was my discovery of a peculiar sight - bright yellow insects buzzing around the base of a tree.  Hundreds of them.  I asked a local gentleman what they were; he called them chumelos.  A type of social bee, but unlike anything I had seen before.  I didn't have my macro equipment with me, so the best I could do was to zoom in with my telephoto from a distance and see what I got.  

Later, I found out that they are a small, stingless bee that makes honey.  There was a tube sticking out from the tree they were buzzing around.  It is a wax and resin tube that they use as an entrance and exit for their hive.  Although it was coloured like the tree bark, it was not part of the tree itself.  At first, I thought it was a stick they had somehow crafted into an entrance.  Cool.

The narrow stingless bees have a very high order of social organization, with labour divided up between castes and even soldier bees that are a bit larger.  The lack of stingers does not prevent them from protecting the hive, as the soldiers can be very aggressive when required.  What I think is amazing is that the colony will divide, with a small group wandering off to another site not too far away from the mother colony.  Communication is kept up between both groups, and materials and food are shared as needed.

The honey produced by these bees is highly valued.  It is more watery than regular honey, but contains interesting tastes that are unique.  It is also antibacterial; the honey has been used for centuries to help wounds heal.  Unfortunately, it has been counterfeited for sale by numerous unscrupulous groups.  It is well worth a read.  type:  "narrow stingless bees" honey quality and use into your browser.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

Close up of bees:



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