Teenage Mutant Ninja Orchid Bees
Whenever I visit Latin America I make sure to leave some time for observing orchid bees in activity. This means my morning routine is usually very brief: a quick breakfast, some reorganization of gear from the previous night hike, and heading out. The bees are usually active between 7:30-11am, so it is a race against the clock to locate them in the rainforest.
A month ago I posted a photo on my social media accounts showing a group of Euglossa bees collecting fungus threads from tree bark in Costa Rica. Since then, this photo has become very popular and has been shared and retweeted thousands of times (unfortunately, a big chunk of these shares is by people who uploaded the photo to their pages without my permission). This is currently my most shared photo to date. Even as of writing this post, one month after posting the photo, it still generates new likes, shares, and comments. In fact, the title of this post, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Orchid Bees”, is taken directly from the comments, as some people noted the photo reminded them of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
A group of colorful orchid bees (Euglossa hansoni, E. sapphirina and E. tridentata) collecting fungus filaments from tree bark, Limón Province, Costa Rica
While I will argue that in order to truly appreciate the beauty of orchid bees one must observe them from a close distance, this photo does represent well their diversity (showing three distinct Euglossa species) and variation (the “red” and “orange” bees belong to the same species). Soon after the photo spread through the internet I was flooded with questions about orchid bees, so I thought it would make a nice opportunity to write a post about them and address some of the inquiries.
That orange bee (Euglossa hansoni) from the group photo above? This is what it looks like when viewed from up close. Words cannot describe this beauty.
Are you sure these are not flies? Despite bearing a strong resemblance to bottle flies, these insects are indeed bees: orchid bees are members of tribe Euglossini which contains five genera: Euglossa, Eulaema, Eufriesea, Exaerete and Aglae. They are somewhat closely related to the eusocial honey bees and bumblebees, however most orchid bees lead a solitary lifestyle. The genera Exaerete and Aglae are cleptoparasites, developing in the nests of other orchid bees. There are about 200 species of orchid bees, distributed only in the Americas, mostly in Central and South America. Only one species occurs in the United States. Like many other bees, orchid bees collect nectar, pollen and resin from plants. They can be distinguished from other bees by their shiny metallic coloration and their extremely long tongues, which can be twice the length of the body. Most of the time the tongue is folded underneath the body and extends behind the abdomen.
Orchid bees can be easily found near fragrant orchids. This male was spotted hovering near a vanilla flower. Photographed in Caves Branch, Cayo District, Belize
Male orchid bee (Euglossa sp.) collecting resin from tree bark. Photographed in Toledo District, Belize
Are they dangerous? Can they sting? Orchid bees are far less dangerous than honey bees. Being solitary (excluding a few species that are communal), orchid bees have no colony or a queen to defend. That being said, female orchid bees do possess a stinger, which they will not hesitate to use when threatened. Interestingly, the females are very rarely encountered. I have encountered them only near stream banks, collecting clay mud for construction of their nest. Most of the bees observed in the rainforest are males. Although their folded tongue sticking behind the abdomen may look like a stinger, males have no stinger and pose no danger to anyone.
Male orchid bee (Euglossa sp.) in mid-flight, showing its long tonguefolded underneath the body. This is not a stinger! Photographed in the Amazon Basin, Ecuador
Why are they called orchid bees? Male orchid bees exhibit an interesting and unique behavior – fragrance collection. They collect and store different volatile compounds, some of which are found in orchid flowers. To get the right mixture of chemicals, they sometimes travel long distances in flight. Being able to detect the tiniest amount of a desired compound in the air, the bees home-in on the scent column and navigate to it with impressive accuracy. Once landed at the site, the males scrape the odorous compounds using modified brushes on their forelegs, and then while in mid-air transfer and press them into special storage chambers in their hind legs. The process is repeated until the bee has collected enough of the chemical. The purpose of collecting the fragrant compounds is not entirely clear, but it is strongly believed that they play an important role in mate choice by the females, just as perfume is used to attract a mate in humans.
Male orchid bee (Euglossa intersecta) collecting fragrant compounds from tree bark. Note the long hairs on the forelegs that assist in scraping the chemicals. Photographed in the Amazon Basin, Ecuador
Male orchid bee (Euglossa sp.) collecting fragrant compounds from tree bark. The chemicals are stored in special chambers located in hind tibia. Photographed in the Amazon Basin, Ecuador
To collect a variety of scents, the bees visit primarily orchids flowers, but also other flowers, tree wounds, fungi and even corpses. One species was even recorded collecting the insecticide DDT without suffering any damage from the chemical.
The fragrance collection behavior allows the attraction of males using different baits containing essential oils, and can be useful for biologists to learn about their seasonal abundance and diversity.
A carefully selected site for baiting orchid bees can attract a few dozens of males, as seen here. Photographed in Cayo District, Belize
Some fragrant orchids have evolved different adaptations to take advantage of this perfume-seeking behavior, which involve the male bees pushing or crawling into the flowers, triggering a mechanism that glues a pair of pollen packets (called pollinia or pollinaria, depending on the type of plant tissue involved) on the bee’s head or thorax. These pollen packets will travel with the male bee to the next flower to complete the pollination process.
Male orchid bee (Euglossa cyanura) pollinating the orchid Gongora maculata. Note the pollen packets glued on the bee’s back. Photographed in Toledo District, Belize
Why are orchid bees so colorful? This question is a hard one to answer. The metallic color does not seem to have a clear function. However, it is important to note that not all orchid bees are colorful. While members of genera Euglossa, Exaerete and Aglae are flashy with colors ranging from gold, red and green to blue and violet, members of Eulaema and Eufriesea are less showy and sport dark colors and a thick coat of hairs, which make them look like fuzzy bumblebees.
Representatives of three Euglossini genera, left to right: Eulaema seabrai, Euglossa intersecta and Exaerete smaragdina.
Orchid bees are fascinating insects that can be observed safely without the need for special equipment or prior preparation. I would like to share with you something I like to do when I find a group of male bees in activity: I approach slowly and place my head close to their gathering spot. The bees are so busy closing in on the scent cone that they are not bothered by my presence. Then I close my eyes. The loud buzzing sounds piercing through the air make me feel like I am standing right in the middle of an insectopian highway. It is quite a unique sensation. Try it. You won’t regret.
Bev Lobe
Wow they are gods beauty!
Glad I got to see this arrival my niece shared. Very interesting indeed.
Thank you Brittany.
Sean McCann
Holy moly! Fantastic post, fantastic images! So cool!
Daniel Perry
Thanks so much. I have seen these bees and they are so much fun to watch. I didn’t know about all the behaviors so glad for the information.
Stephania Sandoval
Fantastic photographic work, I loved it!
Just a little correction. That bee that you are classifying as a Eufriesea is in fact an Euglossa, probably Euglossa intersecta. A character that can help you to recognize the genus Euglossa, are those black spots in the front of the head (labrum) and that glossae is very long.
wizentrop
You are, of course, correct.
My intention was to sit with some keys and add species identifications in the photo captions, but I did not find the time for it until today. In the process of keying out I realized this mistake – now corrected!
Leopoldo Garcia Berrizbeitia
Stephania could you please contact me at my facebook Leopoldo Garcia, I am learning about the Euglossinii and you seem to be a wealth of information.
Take care
Leopoldo
Adrian Thysse
Truly astonishing bees! Fantastic photographs, Gil!
invertebratedude
Bee-autiful! 😀 These guys are stunning, and the range of colors is incredible!
I was gawking at you photography section on this site, and I was wondering, do you plan on making a cockroach section? Just curious!
wizentrop
Absolutely! I already have a small collection of Blattodea photos, I just want to “beef up” the gallery before uploading. You can find some Blattodeans in the “Meet Your Neighbours” section.
invertebratedude
Awesome, good to know! 🙂 I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for the release of that page then! Cool, I’ll go check out the “Meet Your Neighbours” section right now!
Glenn Baines
You mentioned, and their name testifies that the male bees are attracted to specific orchids. Do you know the scientific name of any species of orchids growing in Costa Rica that are known to be great attractors for males? I’ve heard that some of these orchids don’t even have nectar, but produce oils.
What other plants might be great attractors for the males?
I would like to place these species of orchids and plants in our gardens to attract these bees.
wizentrop
The list of orchids would be far too long if we wanted to mention all the species that are good attractants. From what I have seen, Vanilla works very well as well as Gongora species. If you want to show some fascinating natural history related to orchid bees, I would strongly suggest planting a bucket orchid (Coryanthes spp.) in your gardens. The pollination of its big flowers is a long process that relies mainly on orchid bees. Some wild ginger species are also good attractants with their large inflorescence.
Anandi A Premlall
Absolutely gorgeous beings. I cannot wait to encounter them on my travels.
Randy Gage
Are there any good reference material or books that show each species name and picture? How did you identify the ones in your pictures?
wizentrop
Yes, look for David Roubik and Paul Hanson’s field guide to orchid bees of Central America.
Terry Smith
Hey Gil I have had green orchid bees living in two bird houses here on my property on the gulf coast of Florida for the last few years. And yesterday I spotted and photographed a blue variety lunching on a magenta firespike. I have some good photos and videos if you would like to see them. And, I have a perfectly preserved one that sadly passed away. They also have nested in a coconut that I have on my porch. I love my little buddies, they are so entertaining and beautiful. Thanks for all the information you have on them.
wizentrop
Hi Terry, I would love to see the blue orchid bee that you mentioned. As far as I know, the species that is currently found in Florida is green only, and what you are describing might be something else. Are any of your photos online?
Terry Smith
Hi Gil. My Photos are not online but if you send me a separate private email I would be happy to share them with you. I have photos and videos of both green and blue so you can compare them. I’m pretty certain they are not anything else.
Aaron
Thanks for this information. I had an orchid bee in my yard today (Turrialba, Costa Rica) and knew nothing about them until I found your article. Great work!
Terry Smith
Hey Gil!! I just had what I am certain was a very blue orchid bee that lookWD nothing like my green ones hovering less than a foot from my face. Unfortunately I could not get a picture of this one but I will keep my eye out for it.
Pamela
What a great post! I bought a fragrant orchid yesterday and was hoping to see hummingbirds attracted to it. Imagine my surprise when I found a flurry of metallic green “flies” buzzing around it! I has happy to learn that these are not flies, but orchid bees.
Your photos are beautiful and the information, thorough!
Thank you!
Jonathan Barker
Ty very much for the post. Very enlightening and definitely something i will look for when i am there.
Gregg Roberts
Thanks for the detailed information! I grow Jamaican Ebony (Brya Ebenus), which produces a profusion of bright yellow flowers, but the honey bees around Naples fly right past them. Thankfully, green bees show a strong interest, so each flower yields a single fertile seed–which I plant for more ebony. This post has been really helpful to understand these emerald jewels and their behavior.
Rhon
SW Florida. I love seeing orchid bees. I usually see green and sometimes ones that look more blue indigo. I have sky vine / clock vine they sometimes sleep in bloom overnight. They also like thumburgia, duranta and blue daze. I used to have vanilla. Now I put orchids in trees outside for them too.
If I wear turquoise/teal they stop to hover and look at me and allow me to get closer. Do they seem to respond to colors you wear while observing them?