This is a relatively new area of research for me. I have extended my interest in nestmate recognition to the stingless bees (see publications below) but have also become interested in the ecology of stingless bees in wet tropical forests. These bees have broader dietary habits than what would be predicted by our stereotype for bees; some species feed on carrion and others feed on feces. My current research is aimed towards developing an understanding of how stingless bee colonies are distributed in the forest, and how this distribution affects stingless bees in forest fragments.

Breed, M. D., Page, R. E. 1991. Intra- and interspecific nestmate recognition and colony defense in Melipona workers. J. Insect Behav. 4:463-469.

Bowden, R. M., Garry, M. F., Breed, M. D. 1994. Discrimination of con- and heterospecific bees by Trigona (Tetragonisca) angustula guards. J. Kansas Entomol. Soc. 67:137-139.