On the morning of 12th January 2019, I was informed of a swarm of bees at a footpath in front of my house. The swarm, flying around an ornamental potted plant, was made up of numerous tiny bees at around my eye level. It was initially thought that it was a swarm of wasps. After all, the wasp was nesting nearby. At this time the wasps were peaceful, with many of them resting on the retaining wall LINK.
I managed to catch a few swarmers with a small fish net and recognised them as Stingless Bees (Trigona sp.). By afternoon the swarm was still around. Next morning many of the Stingless Bees were found around a small opening on the retaining wall of the house. Many of the bees were entering and exiting the opening. By afternoon the number of bees decreased with a few around the opening. However, numerous bees were swarming again in the evening when it was cooler (see above and video below).
Three days later the swarming ended. The bees were seen inside a small opening on the wall and appeared to have settled down (see video below).
YC Wee
Singapore
19th January 2019
This post is a cooperative effort between Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behaviour through photography and videography to a wider audience.
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