Belted Orchid Bee

Belted Orchid Bee

Eulaema cingulata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at San José

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

53 Verified sightings at San José
123 In all 11 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Belted Orchid Bee

Eulaema cingulata is a large-bodied black and orange corbiculate bee in the genus Eulaema. It is characterized by its size and flashy orange segments of its metastoma. Unlike other Eulaema, E. cingulata has white markings on its face. Specifically, T1 andT3 are black while T2 and T4 through T7 are cream or slightly orange in color. These bees are easily mistaken for bumblebees (Bombus spp.). However, they are actually members of the Euglossini, or orchid bees. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
2 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
4 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
5 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
6 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
10 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cali 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
2 São Luís 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
5 Niterói 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
6 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 San Salvador 🇸🇻 El Salvador
~10%
8 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
9 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Belted Orchid Bee in San José?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Belted Orchid Bee sighting in San José on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 34th most-seen of the 239 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Belted Orchid Bee in San José?

September and October

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Belted Orchid Bee in San José on a given day, against under 5% in February and November, the lowest months. Those are among San José's wettest months, with about 280 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Belted Orchid Bee?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Belted Orchid Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is San José the best place to see a Belted Orchid Bee?

Among the best

Of the 9 cities where we can rate Belted Orchid Bee sightings, San José ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cali (Colombia, about 10%) and São Luís (Brazil, about 10%).

Where does the Belted Orchid Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Belted Orchid Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in San José (53 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.

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