We started out our day by designing an experiment with camera traps – we decided on “How does the presence of man-made trails impact biodiversity of invertebrates immediately surrounding LCRS.” We set out into the trails and placed a total of 14 camera traps throughout the day to hopefully capture some wildlife!
After a very slow start to my bee sightings this morning, many more were seen in the afternoon, mainly along the roads and into the undisturbed forest nearby.
There were many sightings, and many of which were too quick to identify. One I identified as a central american robust stingless bee due to its smaller size and cinched waist. They also have a very shiny appearance to their abdomen.
We later encountered a large swarm of both bees and wasps that were all circling a wet patch along the road – probably seeking salt. I believe the bees mixed in were the black slender stingless bees because of their longer and skinnier body. There was a final clear sighting of another central american robust stingless bee at the very end of our trek.