Tetragonisca angustula
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow Stingless Bee sighting in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 46th most-seen of the 80 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.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Narrow Stingless Bee in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May and July–August, the lowest months.
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.
8th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Narrow Stingless Bee sightings, Tortuguero National Park ranks 8th at about 10%. 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%).
Same family: Apidae
The closest relatives of the Narrow Stingless Bee that you can see in Tortuguero National Park (family Apidae, Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies) are Red-Tailed Stingless Bee (about 20%) and Belted Orchid Bee (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 Tortuguero National Park (8 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.
