Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. The invertebrate fauna found here is diverse: there are approximately 2 million species of arthropods found across the world and the number is rising, as many new species continue to be discovered. As such, it is difficult to specify the exact number of species found within a certain region. The following list describes the Bees of Sri Lanka.
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera. Suborder: Apocrita.
Bees are the primary pollinators of terrestrial flowering plants. The hairs within their bodies help to function as efficient pollinators. The greatest levels of bee diversity are confined to warm temperate regions of the world. There are approximately 70,000 bee species described in the world with nearly 450 genera and 7 families. Sri Lanka comprises 149 species of 38 genera and 4 families. Bee research in Sri Lanka is carried out in large part by Dr. Inoka Karunaratne et al. from University of Peradeniya.[1] [2]