Always buy a stingless bee colony from a reputable seller AND more importantly check there is some kind of guarantee. Either refund, replacement or remedy the situation by allowing the seller to restock the box.
Newcomers to native bees might be so enthusiastic to buy a stingless bee colony they wont do any research and wont be aware of the pitfalls of buying a recent water meter rescue / recent split / recent transfer / recent disconnected eduction which can be weak colonies and have a high failure rate.
The new buyer wont realise what they’re getting, or not getting, and the colony can die out over months and the seller doesn’t want to know about it.
Most sellers want to provide a good product and service, and want the customer to have a good experience.
Of course you don’t really need a guarantee but you also have to accept the risk and hopefully the price reflects that.
Photos show a very small stingless bee colony in a water meter pit. Quite a few people transfer these in to boxes with a low survival rate.
