A Preliminary, Photography-Based Assessment of Bee Diversity at the Finca Botánica Organic Farm in the Central Pacific Coast of Ecuador

Abstract

Understanding wild bee diversity is critical for pollinator conservation, particularly in understudied tropical regions like coastal Ecuador. This preliminary study provides a photography-based assessment of bee diversity at Finca Botánica, an organic and regenerative farm on Ecuador’s central Pacific coast. Over a 10-day survey in December 2024, researchers documented 51 bee species across four families, with Apidae being the most represented. The study highlights a predominance of solitary, ground-nesting bees and a lower-than-expected diversity of Meliponini (stingless bees) and Euglossini (orchid bees) compared to other regions of Ecuador. Many species were found in forest patches, ecological corridors, and cover-cropped maize fields, underscoring the role of sustainable farming practices in supporting pollinator diversity. While photographic methods provided valuable preliminary data, they also revealed limitations in species-level identification, reinforcing the need for future specimen-based surveys. These findings suggest that Ecuador’s dry coastal forests may harbor a richer bee community than previously recognized and that organic farms can serve as important refuges for native pollinators.

1. Introduction

Bees are vital pollinators that play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem health and agricultural productivity, yet efforts to protect wild bees are often impeded by a lack of baseline diversity data [1]. Documenting bee diversity can be challenging due to these insects’ limited distributions, seasonal population variabilities, small size, and elusive behaviors. While the diverse habitats of South America are known to house some of the highest biodiversity in the world [2,3], bee diversity in South America remains relatively understudied [4].

Ecuador is considered one of few “megadiverse” countries in the world, housing tens of thousands of plant and animal species [5,6]. The high biodiversity, housed in a relatively small country makes Ecuador the most biodiverse country per unit of surface area in the world [7]. Despite the high diversity seen in many taxa, little is known about the wild bee communities in Ecuador. While no comprehensive studies of bee diversity have been conducted in the country, Moure et al. [8] cataloged 305 recognized bee species from historical records and estimated that the country could house as many as 611different species. More recently, targeted studies in Ecuador have uncovered diverse bee communities in two different bee tribes, Meliponini (stingless bees: 132 species) and Euglossini (orchid bees: 115 species) [9,10]. Most of the bee diversity documented in these two groups was concentrated in the Amazonian lowlands in Eastern Ecuador [9,10]. Relatively little attention has been given to the bee communities in the western coastal Pacific areas. One study investigating bee diversity in southern Ecuador documented 51 species from the southernmost provinces of El Oro, Loja, and Zamora [11], but only a portion of these provinces are included in the coastal region [5].

Native bees face numerous threats, especially in the tropics. Many of these threats are related to agricultural intensification, including deforestation, agrochemicals, and introduced exotic species like honey bees [4]. These threats are particularly pronounced in the dry coastal areas of Ecuador where agricultural intensification has and will continue to negatively impact biodiversity [12]. One example of this is the fact that feral honey bees have reached high densities in the tropics, particularly in coastal dry forest areas [4], which can have a negative impact on native bee species [13]. While connectivity in forest patches has been shown to be beneficial for orchid bee species [14], overall bee conservation efforts in the tropics are limited due to the lack of information about bee diversity [4].

Organic and regenerative farming practices can provide important benefits for biodiversity, particularly for pollinator communities. Organic farms have been found to support higher pollinator densities compared to conventional agricultural fields [15], and organic farming practices have been shown to benefit pollinator diversity across a variety of landscapes [16]. Maintaining large native habitat patches within agricultural areas can also help prevent further declines in wild bee diversity while maximizing pollination services [17]. In addition to these benefits, regenerative farming practices can create “biodiversity islands,” where biodiversity levels within agricultural lands exceed those of the surrounding landscapes [18]. These findings suggest that organic and regenerative farming not only mitigate some of the negative impacts of agricultural intensification but can also provide critical refuges for pollinators and other wildlife. Given the widespread threats to pollinator populations globally, integrating these farming practices into agricultural landscapes may play an essential role in sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services into the future.

The Finca Botánica Farm, located near Chongón, Ecuador, represents a unique opportunity to study pollinator diversity within an actively managed agricultural landscape. Established in 2006, the farm spans over 400 hectares and employs organic and regenerative farming practices aimed at enhancing soil health and promoting biodiversity [19]. In addition to cultivating essential oil-bearing crops such as ylang ylang (Cananga odorata), eucalyptus blue (Eucalyptus bicostata), lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), and palo santo (Bursera graveolens), the farm is actively restoring native dry forest habitats, establishing ecological corridors across the farm, and propagating native orchid species that further contribute to the creation of diverse and structurally complex habitats that can support a wide array of pollinators. Given the scarcity of research on bee diversity in Ecuador’s dry coastal areas [4], Finca Botánica offers an important and relatively unexplored setting for investigating how sustainable agricultural practices influence native bee communities in the tropics.

Traditionally, methods for assessing bee diversity include specimen collection using traps or nets. These methods have been shown to be useful in documenting bee communities and providing baseline data (e.g., [20]). However, growing concern about pollinator declines has led some to develop non-lethal survey techniques that often involve photography or capture and release approaches [21]. These non-lethal surveys are useful as preliminary assessments of diversity, though species identifications are often limited to the genus level [21,22,23]. Non-lethal approaches can be especially useful in fragile or threatened landscapes to help understand broad patterns of biodiversity so future, more intensive studies can be designed.

Here, we report on an initial photography-based assessment of bee diversity at the Finca Botánica farm in southwestern Ecuador. By employing non-invasive documentation techniques, we aim to provide insight into local bee diversity while highlighting the potential of photographic surveys for pollinator conservation in threatened landscapes. This preliminary investigation can inform future more thorough, collection-based assessments of the bee community in this area.

2. Materials and Methods

The Finca Botánica farm is located in southwestern Ecuador (−2.277237°, −80.065141°). It encompasses over 445 hectares of agricultural, native dry forest, and riparian lands. The main crop at the farm is ylang ylang (Cananga odorata), grown for essential oil extraction. In addition, the farm also grows Hyptis suaveolens and Lippia alba for essential oil extraction, along with Cacao (Theobroma cacao) Maize (Zea mays), and Plantain (Musa). Also, a native Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens) forest preserve is maintained on the farm. Organic, sustainable and regenerative practices are employed in all of the farm’s crops. These practices include no-till farming methods, hand harvesting of crops (to avoid soil compaction from mechanized harvesting), and the use of native cover crops to enrich soils. Intermixed with the farmlands, several conservation forest areas have been set aside to preserve biodiversity. Biological corridors have been designed to link existing forest patches with neighboring forestlands.

Collections and observations were made from 5 December through 15 December, 2024, to survey bees in the transition time between the dry and wet seasons. Ecuador was experiencing severe drought conditions winter of 2024, with reservoirs so low that hydroelectric power was disrupted [24]. These drought conditions persisted throughout the sampling period, and the lack of rainfall limited the number of flowers that were blooming across the farm. As this was a preliminary study to gauge the level of bee diversity on the farm, collections were made randomly across the farm, based on where currently flowering plants were located. Collectors would begin surveying for bees by 0900 and generally completed observations by 1700. Because collection permits were not granted by the date of the study, rather than collecting specimens for identification in a laboratory setting, collectors employed a catch and release method. Bees were collected directly from flowers and placed in plastic vials. These vials were placed on ice so specimens would not overheat while in captivity. Specimens were then brough indoors so photos could be taken with a macro-lens and a digital camera (see Figure 1). Once specimens were photographed, they were released. Each specimen was identified using multiple photographs. Some photographs were uploaded to iNaturalist.org (accessed on 8 May 2025) to receive second opinions by experts in the field. Identifications were made to the lowest taxonomic level possible based on the photos. Some species-level identifications were made; however, most specimens were only identified to the generic level, and a few identified only to tribe. When male and female specimens from the same genus were collected (e.g., Megachile) only the females were included in the species list because associating males and females is not generally possible from photographs. Therefore, the species list is likely an underestimate of the diversity encountered.

3. Results

In the 10 days of collecting and photographing, 51 different bee species were found (50 wild bee species and the European honey bee, see Figure 1 and

Table 1. Table of all the bee species and morphospecies found on the Finca Botanica Farm.

Bee Family	Bee Species
Apidae	Apis mellifera
Apidae	Ancyloscelis sp.
Apidae	Brachynomada sp.
Apidae	Centris (Heterocentris)
Apidae	Centris maculifrons
Apidae	Centris sp. 1
Apidae	Centris sp. 2
Apidae	Ceratina (Calloceratina)
Apidae	Eualaema polychroma
Apidae	Eucerini sp.
Apidae	Euglossa sp.
Apidae	Exomalopsis sp. 1
Apidae	Exomalopsis sp. 2
Apidae	Florilegus sp. 1
Apidae	Florilegus sp. 2
Apidae	Melipona mimetica
Apidae	Melitoma segmentaria
Apidae	Mesoplia sp.
Apidae	Nomada sp.
Apidae	Plebeia sp.
Apidae	Tetrapedia sp.
Apidae	Triepeolus sp. 1
Apidae	Triepeolus sp. 2
Apidae	Trigona sp.
Apidae	Xylocopa sp. 1
Apidae	Xylocopa sp. 2
Apidae	Xylocopa viridis
Colletidae	Chilicola sp.
Colletidae	Colletes sp.
Colletidae	Hylaeus (Hylaeopsis)
Halictidae	Agapostemon nasutus
Halictidae	Augochlora (Oxystoglosella)
Halictidae	Augochlora sp.
Halictidae	Augochloropsis sp.
Halictidae	Caenohalictus sp.
Halictidae	Lasioglossum (Dialictus) sp. 1
Halictidae	Lasioglossum (Dialictus) sp. 2
Halictidae	Lasioglossum sp. 1
Halictidae	Neocorynura sp.
Halictidae	Temnosoma sp.
Megachilidae	Anthidiini sp. 1
Megachilidae	Anthidiini sp. 2
Megachilidae	Coelioxys sp. 1
Megachilidae	Coelioxys sp. 2
Megachilidae	Megachile aricensis
Megachilidae	Megachile sp. 1
Megachilidae	Megachile sp. 2
Megachilidae	Megachile sp. 3
Megachilidae	Megachile sp. 4
Megachilidae	Megachile sp. 5

). Over 50% of the species encountered are in the family Apidae (n = 27), 11 species were in Megachilidae, 10 in Halictidae and three in Colletidae. Most of the bee species found were solitary species, many of them ground nesting, though many cavity-nesting, solitary species were also found (i.e., Megachile spp.).

4. Discussion

While the current study uncovered high bee species diversity at the Finca Botanica Farm, the broad patterns of diversity are similar to the general pattern of family-level bee diversity known from the country as a whole [4], with most of the diversity in the family Apidae. However, unlike other studies of bees in Ecuador that have found high levels of diversity in the tribes Meliponini (stingless bees) and Euglossini (orchid bees) [9,10], the current study found only three meliponines (Melipona mimetica, Plebeia sp. and Trigona sp.) and two euglossines (Euglossa sp. and Eualaema polychroma). Even other bee studies based in southern Ecuador found drastically different bee communities than those from the current study. For example, Rasmussen [11] found 16 different meliponine species, much higher diversity than detected in the current study.

The current study was relatively short, less than two weeks in December. Therefore, it is likely that additional collections, particularly at different times of the year, will discover additional species that the farm is supporting. Given the diversity of Melipolini in Ecuador it is likely that several additional species could be found on the farm. Furthermore, Padron et al. [10] predict that at least 10 euglosine species likely occur in the area where the farm is, so additional collecting would also likely find more diversity in this tribe.

In contrast to other studies of bee diversity in the region (e.g., [11]), a majority of species encountered herein are solitary, often ground-nesting species. Much of the diversity was found in the forest areas of the farm, and on the margins between forest fragments, biological corridors and agricultural lands. A surprising number of species were found in the maize fields, visiting flowers that were part of the understory cover crop. At the time of the study, the maize had all been harvested and the stalks were dry, but still standing. The bees were observed visiting a variety of wildflowers growing among the maize stalks. The sustainable farming practices including hand harvesting and no till farming likely contributed to the high number of ground-nesting bees found, as soil compaction and tiling can have negative impacts on these bee species [25,26]. Also, the maintenance of forest patches intermixed with agricultural lands, and the preservation of biological corridors connecting forest patches on and off the farm undoubtedly positively contributes to bee diversity at the Finca Botánica farm. Connectivity of forest patches is beneficial for bees [14] and many other animals [27].

Throughout the current study, many feral European honey bee hives were encountered, some in close proximity to each other. For example, three hives were found within 50 m of each other in one of the Ylang-ylang fields. One hive was high in a large Ceibo tree (Ceiba sp.), one in a cavity at the base of a neighboring Ceibo tree, and one in a small Ylang-ylang tree. While honey bees can have a negative impact on native bee species [13], the high density of honey bees at the Finca Botánica farm did not seem to negatively impact the wild bee community, perhaps due to the diversity of crops, cover crops, and natural vegetation in the area.

While the current study found nearly as many species on the Finca Botánica farm (~4.5 km²) as have been documented from the three provinces of Southern Ecuador (El Oro, Loja, and Zamora: over 27,000 km²) [11], it is important to acknowledge the limitations of a photography-based study. Many studies have investigated the use of photography to document bee diversity, finding these techniques were effective at documenting bees at the genus level (e.g., [21,22,23]. However, these studies all point out that species-level identifications were often not possible from photographs. When comparing photography-based species assessments to collection-based assessments, researchers found that twice as many species were documented in collections compared to photographs [28]. However, when trained photographers work with taxonomists for identification, photographic-based surveys can capture similar levels of bee diversity to traditional collection-based studies and can provide valuable baseline data for future research [29].

5. Conclusions

The current study documents 51 different bee species on the Finca Botánica Farm showing that agricultural lands, particularly those following organic, sustainable, regenerative farming practices can serve as refugia for bees in rapidly changing environments. This study also shows that photography-based diversity studies of bees can be effective at providing preliminary, genus level data, but it is suggested that collection-based studies are necessary to more fully understand bee diversity. The fact that this one, relatively small, farm maintains a bee community nearly as diverse as has been documented from all of southern Ecuador indicates that the dry forestlands of coastal southern Ecuador might harbor a more diverse bee community than has previously been recognized. The recognition that a short, photography-based assessment of bee diversity can uncover a rich bee community should lead to additional investigations into the bee community on this farm. Collection-based assessments of the bee community in this area can provide specimens for species-level identifications and will undoubtedly further our understanding of bee diversity in the region.