Eufriesea purpurata is a species of eusocial orchid bee common in northeastern South America, particularly in the Amazon basin.

In the late 1970s, males of the species pestered an indigenous Amazonian community whose palm-leaf houses had been sprayed by the government with DDT, which the bees found attractive.

In 1979 and 1980, males of the species were observed deliberately collecting large quantities of the insecticide from remote, rural houses along Brazil's Ituxi River.

Individual bees of the species were observed collecting as much as 2 mg of DDT each (4% of their average body weight)[12] with no apparent adverse effects, displaying a tolerance tens or hundreds of times greater than most insects.

[16][17] E. purpurata has also been found to be attracted to benzyl alcohol, a major component of Stanhopea insignis' fragrance, and anisyl acetate.