Under the flight of meliponines: exploring stingless bees

Stingless bees (Meliponini) represent a key group of pollinators in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. In the Americas, these native bees play a fundamental role in the conservation of biodiversity, contributing to the pollination of a great variety of plant species. However, knowledge about their diversity and ecology in Panama remains limited, with scattered historical records and few recent studies addressing their identification and distribution in different regions of the country.This study focused on the identification and characterization of stingless bee species present in the community of Los Lajones, Ca azas District, Veraguas, Panama. For this purpose, sampling was carried out through variable transects and direct qualitative and quantitative observations between November 2022 and March 2023. The method used was direct collection of nests and, in some cases, the use of nets to capture specimens. Taxonomic identification was carried out using entomological keys, resulting in the presence of four genera in total.