This species has a large geographic distribution and occupies different biomes, including urban areas, around Neotropical America.
The genus Nannotrigonna has about nine known species and ranges from Sonora, Chihuahua, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico, to Santa Catarina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
[3] Nannotrigona testaceicornis bees are black and generally have grey hairs with a coarse and wrinkled thorax.
[3] Nannotrigona testaceicornis is a neotropical eusocial bee that has a large geographic distribution, primarily throughout Brazil.
The constant presence of N. testaceicornis in the human environment promotes competition for nesting places, leading to intensified aggressive interactions between colonies within the species.
It assumes that selfish females reared in normal-sized cells become queens, instead of workers, because they have direct benefits in reproduction.
[5] Abdominal extracts are differentiated between males and workers, but both come from the Dufour's gland, which is a large, wide, pear-shaped sac.
[6] A zigzag run and the jostling of nestmates inside the nest as well as airborne sounds and vibrational signals are observed as communication methods for N. testaceicornis, rather than a scent trail.
When a worker has been successful in finding a food source, it will return to the nest and begin bumping into nestmates and will stop for trophallaxis emitting thorax vibrations and airborne sounds, which can even be heard by the human ear.
In the normal cells, the larvae ingest less food and are therefore of smaller size and labeled as “miniature” or “dwarf” queens.
The attempted invasion promotes the formation of groups of two to four swarm and resident bees to fall to the ground and continue to fight until death.
[4] Nannotrigona testaceicornis defend by biting their predators and gather in large colonies of 2000 to 3000 individuals due to the lack of a toxic stinger.
[2] They have been discovered to be polylectic, collecting pollen from the flowers of a variety of unrelated plants, making then great pollinators.