Part 4/12:
On daily patrols, the forest’s tiny inhabitants reveal their importance. The Valdez’s stingless bee, just 4 millimeters long—smaller than a grain of rice—is a key pollinator. Despite its minute size, it plays an outsized role in maintaining the health of the garden’s diverse flora. The bee’s nests, located in tricky resin tubes, are guarded fiercely from threats like ants—its natural enemies. Scout ants patrol diligently, attempting to infiltrate the nest, but the bees defend fiercely with strategic resin barriers and sticky resins to entrap intruders.