[2] They can be found from southern United States to Northern Argentina and include a total of 16 species.

[4] This genus is known for its easily recognizable abdomen, which can be almost as wide as it is long, and its very high scutellum that often projects over the metanotum.

[3] Brachygastra mellifica make paper nests that range in size from 40–50 cm in diameter.

The surface of the nest is blotchy, colored brown or grey, varying as a result of the raw materials used for construction.

[6] The Mexican honey wasp is found in a range from northern Panama through most of subtropical Central America and Mexico.

[5] Like most eusocial hymenoptera, communities of B. mellifica consist predominantly of sterile female workers and relatively few male drones and queens.

[5] B. mellifica genetics show high levels of relatedness among workers despite the large number of queens per colony.

DNA microsatellites are good genetic markers for studying relatedness due to their Mendelian behavior and high variability.

[5] The split-sex ratio is a result of the asymmetrical relatedness between brothers and sisters, since B. mellifica are haplodiploid.

[5] Research done on kin selection and relatedness showed that queens produce the eggs that become males, not workers.

[5] Brachygastra mellifica is very good at searching and feeding on Diaphorina citri in tree flushes, an introduced species that has become one of their major prey items.

They also may consume larvae of the weevil Anthonomus aeneoulus and a moth from the family Alucitidae.

[6] It is thought that wasps and stingless bees were the first pollinators of the avocado, before the introduction of the European honeybee to the Americas.

[6] They offer many features, such as the ease of which the nests can be moved, the speediness of population growth, and the fact that closed system preservation is possible.

One pest species of particular interest to scientists is Diaphorina citri, a very destructive pest of Citrus trees, which carries bacteria that make the fruit inedible and slowly kill the trees (citrus greening disease).

[7] Diaphorina citri is a major prey of B. mellifa and it would be beneficial to use these wasps to attack these pests.

[6] Brachygastra mellifica serve as a food source for the Popoloca Town of Los Reyes Metzontla, Mexico.

They eat the honey and larvae of these wasps year round, but only harvest when the moon is between its last quarter and waning gibbous.