Bee and Resin

Euaspis carbonaria (A Megachilid - Leaf cutting Bee)

Among the social insects, many bees, especially in the tropics, collect and use resins as a nest-building material (Roubik 1989). In tropical regions where resinous plants are more abundant, bees simply exploit this commonly available resource for structural benefits.This is most likely the case in colonies of some ants and honey bees where a few individuals collect and return to the nest with loads of resin to use in the nest interior.
The bee in the picture was shot while collecting resin from a canarium strictum tree from the forest in May 2012.