Members of the subfamily of bees called Meliponinae are stingless. Most species in this bee sub family are found in South America.
Although their ancestors had effective stings in the past, these bees have lost them through the process of evolution. Why this has happened is not clear, but maybe in their habitat there are fewer predators or competitors, so having a sting gave no survival advantage.
These bees have very well developed communities and their colonies survive for longer than one year. The nests house huge numbers of bees and each of the different social types of bees can be clearly recognised.
The bee colony is very female dominated; the queen is the central player and she is surrounded by hundreds of sterile females, the workers. There are a few males that fertilise the female but then they are rapidly ejected from the nest, having served their purpose, where they die quickly as they have no support, food or shelter.
Although their ancestors had effective stings in the past, these bees have lost them through the process of evolution. Why this has happened is not clear, but maybe in their habitat there are fewer predators or competitors, so having a sting gave no survival advantage.
These bees have very well developed communities and their colonies survive for longer than one year. The nests house huge numbers of bees and each of the different social types of bees can be clearly recognised.
The bee colony is very female dominated; the queen is the central player and she is surrounded by hundreds of sterile females, the workers. There are a few males that fertilise the female but then they are rapidly ejected from the nest, having served their purpose, where they die quickly as they have no support, food or shelter.
