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The evolution of obligate kleptoparasitism, the theft of food, has led to remarkable innovations, including physical weapons and chemical signals that can evolve into chemical weapons. Stingless bees in the genus  Lestrimelitta  are excellent examples of this phenomenon because they are obligate kleptoparasites that no longer collect floral resources and instead steal brood resources from other bees. Their ability to raid successfully is thus essential to their fitness even when they fight species that are physically bigger, have larger defense forces, or both. We conducted morphometric analyses, quantified  Lestrimelitta niitkib  mandibular gland pheromone (MGP) components, and carried out individual fighting trials between  L. niitkib  and the stingless bee  Scaptotrigona mexicana , a common victim species, to shed light on the detailed reasons for their success at robbing. Measurements showed that  L. niitkib  mandibles have thicker exoskeleton cuticles and overall greater width, particularly in the medial and proximal sections, than S . mexicana , which is quite similar in body size. In all fights,  L. niitkib  bit victims and released MGP, as it does during raids.  Scaptotrigona mexicana  victims exhibited significantly increased uncoordinated behaviors and showed partial or complete paralysis. We analyzed and quantified the major components of MGP, which consisted of large quantities of geranial (mean of 253 μg) and neral (48 μg) per bee. Microinjections of 1 bee equivalent (BE) of natural or synthetic MGP and ≥ 0.1 BE of geranial significantly increased deleterious behaviors and paralysis as compared to control injections. We suggest that the large quantities of MGP used during raiding have led to an unexpected outcome, a semiochemical evolving the additional function of a toxin, and contribute to the ability of  Lestrimelitta  to rob its victims. Significance statement Kleptoparasites, organisms that steal food resources, employ multiple physical and chemical tools to survive. The success of kleptoparasitism requires a balance between honesty and coercion in interspecific communication. The genus  Lestrimellita  consists of a group of kleptoparasitic stingless bee species that raid other bee colonies for food and therefore depend upon winning these raids. However, why they succeed remains not fully understood. We studied differences in morphology between  L. niitkib  and its victims, the pheromones they release during raids, and ran individual fight trials between  L. niitkib  and a common victim to identify why they are successful. We suggest that the release of pheromones at the beginning of raids, in concert with the pheromone’s toxicity, has been combined to improve  L. niitkib ’s ability to successfully rob.

Fighting ability and the toxicity of raiding pheromone in an obligate kleptoparasite, the stingless bee Lestrimelitta niitkib