Narrow Stingless Bee

Narrow Stingless Bee

Tetragonisca angustula

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Serra dos Órgãos National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

10 Verified sightings at Serra dos Órgãos National Park From 2019 to 2026
239 In all 15 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Narrow Stingless Bee

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~20%
2 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
3 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
6 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
7 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
10 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
11 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
13 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
14 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
15 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
2 Guatemala City 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~30%
3 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
4 Brasilia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
6 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
7 Valencia 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
8 Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
9 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
10 Niterói 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Narrow Stingless Bee in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow Stingless Bee sighting in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 117 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Narrow Stingless Bee in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

November

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow Stingless Bee in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, June–July and September–October, the lowest months. That is one of Serra dos Órgãos National Park's wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain against 50 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Narrow Stingless Bee?

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.

Is Serra dos Órgãos National Park the best place to see a Narrow Stingless Bee?

Among the best

Of the 15 parks where we can rate Narrow Stingless Bee sightings, Serra dos Órgãos National Park ranks 4th at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 20%), Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 20%) and Rincón de la Vieja National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Narrow Stingless Bee live in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

Same family: Apidae

The closest relatives of the Narrow Stingless Bee that you can see in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (family Apidae, Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies) are Brazilian Robust-Stingless Bee (about 20%) and Spiny-Legged Stingless Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Narrow Stingless Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Narrow Stingless Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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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