Did you know that some bees have a skinny waist?

Only a few millimetres in size, these curious creatures are Narrow-Waisted Bees from the tribe Meliponini. Also known as stingless bees, Meliponini bees come in a range of shapes and sizes, but are primarily defined by their inability to sting.

All the Narrow-Waisted Bees in these photos are soldiers, responsible for defending the colony at all costs. The ones at the entrance to the nest are responsible for detecting and neutralising rival bees of the same species that attempt to infiltrate the hive, while several other soldiers will hover around they entrance and defend against a variety of flying intruders that could pose a threat to the colony.

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Narrow-Waisted Bees (Tetragonisca angustula), Metropolitan Natural Park, Panama