Tetragonisca angustula
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Tetragonisca angustula is a small eusocial stingless bee found in México, Central and South America. It is known by a variety of names in different regions (e.g., jataí, yatei, jaty, virginitas, angelitas inglesas, españolita, mariola, ramichi, chipisas, virgencitas, and mariolitas). A subspecies, Tetragonisca angustula fiebrigi, occupies different areas in South America and has a slightly different coloration.
Tetragonisca angustula is a very small bee and builds unobtrusive nests, allowing it to thrive in urban areas. It also produces large amounts of honey, and is thus frequently kept in wooden hives by beekeepers. T. angustula hives are often overlooked, and since the bee lacks a stinger, it is not seen as a threat to humans.
Many of their behaviors are concerned with colonizing a new nest and producing offspring, demonstrated by their swarming and nursing behaviors; however, a special caste of T. angustula are soldiers who are slightly larger than the workers. The soldiers in a T. angustula nest are very good at protecting the hive against intruders, making up for the lack of a stinger in their species. The accuracy of their recognition between nestmate and non-nestmate is some of the highest among bees. Some of these soldiers hover in mid air outside the nest, which is seen in the adjacent picture. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 2 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 13 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salvador | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 7 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 8 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 9 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 10 | Niterói | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow Stingless Bee sighting in Guatemala City on a given day, based on 49 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 87 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow Stingless Bee in Guatemala City on a given day, against about 10% in June and August, the lowest months. That is one of Guatemala City's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 240 mm in September.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Narrow Stingless Bee sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 20 cities where we can rate Narrow Stingless Bee sightings, Guatemala City ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Salvador (Brazil, about 30%).
Same family: Apidae
The closest relatives of the Narrow Stingless Bee that you can see in Guatemala City (family Apidae, Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies) are Red-Tailed Stingless Bee (about 50%), Mexican Bumble Bee (about 30%) and Eulaema polychroma (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Narrow Stingless Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Guatemala City (49 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
