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Introduction

Trigona is the largest genus of stingless bees. All species of trigona bees fall under the tribe meliponini. Trigona bees are usually oval-shaped creatures with golden-yellow colors and brown bands. Almost all trigona bees have varying dark-to-light striations. Trigona bees are about three to five millimeters in size, and have a slimmer body in total variance with the usual yellow and black sting-capable honeybees(www.The borneopost.com). Trigona can be very aggressive , especially when threatened.

Range

Trigona species occur throughout the Neotropical region which includes South America,Central America,the Mexican lowlands,and the Caribbean island.They can occur in forest dwellers, savanna, man made environments(m.phys.org). Trigona bees are active all year round,although they are less active in cool environments. 

Vulture bees consist of three Trigona species that are the only known bees not to be herbivores. These bees collect and eat meat. Predators of the trigona bees are crab spiders.Some species of Trigona use eavesdropping to detect food sources being exploited by competitors.

Nesting

Trigona bees nests are constructed from produced wax and plant resins. They usually nest in hollow trunks, tress branches, and underground.

Some species of trigona bees use saliva to lay scent trails guiding nest mates to a food source(Animlascorners.co.uk).Trigona curbonoria seeds adhere to resin in the workers corbiculate and one transported to the nest. Workers transported seeds distance of more than 300m from the parent tree and seeds at the nest where viable and capable of germination.

Taxomy

Trigona formerly includes many more subgenera than the present assemblage; many of these former subgenera have been elevated to generic status. There are approximately 150 species presently included in the genus, in 11 subgenera. They differ from those groups now excluded in only minor structural details, primarily of the hind leg.