Daily foraging activity of the Maya bee (<em>Melipona beecheii</em>) in Chetumal, México

The Maya bee, Melipona beecheii, has been an integral part of Mayan culture on the Yucatan Peninsula for several centuries. In the present study, we explore the daily food-foraging behavior of M. beecheii during the year and compare its foraging behavior during summer and winter with the foraging behavior of honeybees during the same periods in the Yucatan Peninsula. Annual behavior showed a remarkable tendency toward pollen foraging during the early hours of the day, whereas nectar foraging peaked at midday. Factors such as season, resource, and hour significantly influence the daily activity of M. beecheii and A. mellifera. We detected noticeable differences in foraging behavior between summer and winter in both Maya bees and honeybees. Honeybees preferred foraging earlier pollen during winter and nectar during summer, whereas Maya bees preferred foraging pollen earlier during summer. Finally, we observed that both bee species made far more foraging trips during winter than in summer.