Structure of the nest entrance of stingless bee (Apidae: hymenoptera) at Malaysian Genome Institute, Malaysia

Abstract

The stingless bees construct their own species-specific nest entrance, using different material and on the various substrate. Using a comparison approach, a study on the structure of the nest entrance was carried out on 20 species of stingless bees’ comprising of 9 genera at Malaysian Genome Institute (MGI), Malaysia. The aim of this study was to find out the difference in the structure and shape of the nest entrance for the 20 species studied. Observation and measurement on the nest entrance were done at the field. Our study revealed that 11 species having an elliptical shape, eight of round shape, while one species having a slotshaped or irregular shaped entrance. Based on the colouration, most of the nests were in black and white colour. The nest mostly was made up of tree resin.