Schrottky's Stingless Bee

Friesella schrottkyi

They construct tiny, delicate tube-like nest entrances made of soft wax and cerumen to protect their colony from larger predators.

Scientific name: Friesella schrottkyi
Taxonomy: Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hymenoptera › Apidae › Friesella
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern
Population trend: stable
Biome: forest
Habitat: Atlantic tropical and subtropical forests, nesting in small hollows of tree trunks, branches, or wall crevices.
Diet: Nectar and pollen collected from a wide variety of native forest flowers.
Range: Brazil, South America
Size: 2.5 to 3 mm in length.
Lifespan: Workers live 30-50 days; queens can live up to 3 years.
Active: diurnal
Threats: Deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and pesticide use in agricultural borders.
Safe to approach?: Harmless. These bees lack a functional sting and are extremely gentle. You can observe them closely at their nest entrance without danger. If they land on you, remain calm; they are likely harvesting sweat for minerals and will fly off on their own.

Photo: Bruno Henrique Aranda, CC-BY, via iNaturalist