Stingless bees are a large group of bees, comprising the tribe Meliponini (sometimes called stingless honey bees) in the family Apidae, and closely-related to the common honey bees, carpenter bees, orchid bees and bumblebees. The common name is slightly misleading, as a great many bee species, especially in the family Andrenidae, are incapable of stinging.
Range
Stingless bees can be found in most tropical or subtropical regions of the world, such as Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of Mexico and Brazil. The majority of native eusocial bees of Central and South America are sting less bees, although only a few of them produce honey on a scale such that they are farmed by humans. They are also quite diverse in Africa and are farmed there also; stingless bee honey is prized as a medicine in many African communities.