Andean Landscape on Stingless Bees

The Andes Mountains are experiencing a rapid loss of natural habitats due to their transformation into cropland and grazing areas. Our PhD student Diana and Postdoc Laura are exploring how these drastic changes in the landscape are linked to decreased abundance and diversity of floral resources and increased pesticide exposure for stingless bees in the region. This work is conducted in Colombia and focuses on Tetragonisca angustula, which is the most common stingless bee species found from Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina.