Stingless bees are closely related to the honeybees, bumblebees and orchid bees. Work with stingless bees is called meliponiculture. Stingless bees are amongst the longest evolved bees, and have been found preserved inside pieces of amber 80 million years old. Stingless bees developed before the continents drifted apart from each other. Therefore, they are present in all tropical parts of the world. It is estimated that 400 to 500 different species of stingless bees are known, but new species are
identified every year.