The hives of stingless bees are quite different from those of other honeybees. In fact, they are often called nests. Instead of storing their honey and pollen in the usual hexagonal honeycomb arrangement, the stingless bees construct clusters of oval pots. The pots are sealed after they are filled, and then other pots are built on or around them.

Inside the Nest

Let us take a tour inside the nest, home to some 15,000 stingless bees. Be careful, though, for although these bees do not sting, they can nip you with their mandibles, or jaws.

Passing along the corridor of the nest, we encounter a world of activity. There is real teamwork among these bees. Each one knows exactly what to do and where it needs to be done. We see one tiny bee shaping and polishing a new honey pot, as if meticulously following a perfect blueprint. Four more bees are beside us, sealing a pot that has just been filled with honey. A huge three-dimensional trellis provides the framework into which the honey pots are built. This engineering masterpiece helps support the weight of the honey.

We now enter the next compartment and notice a bee that is much bigger than the others. This is the queen in all her splendor! How beautiful she is, dressed in her bright black and gold rings and surrounded by a crowd of other busy bees! Now the queen begins laying eggs in the 60 cells that have been prepared for her. How delicate and precise she is, reminding us of a mother putting her baby into a crib! Notice, too, how quickly the workers seal the cells behind her. In just a few minutes, the job is done.

Occasionally, a single scout will investigate a cavity that may be a suitable nest location. Next comes the visit from the “engineers.” Usually from 30 to 50 of these experts will inspect the inside surface of the cavity for several hours, as though marking it out with lines and stakes. Then, having determined that the foundation is good, they return home, apparently to report. Next, usually within 48 hours, the actual “builders” arrive. There may be more than a thousand bees in the crew—but no queen. They quickly get to work, flying in building material and food from the mother nest.

In preparation for the arrival of the queen of this new nest, the brood nest must be constructed to maintain the right temperature—about 80 degrees Fahrenheit [28°C]. To achieve this, the worker bees surround the nest with a wall of cerumen, as if wrapping the nest in a blanket. It is as though these wise bees know that the eggs must be kept warm.