Within the Hymenoptera, cognitive tasks such as mate detection, spatial orientation, and navigation relay in great part on the visual information gained by the compound eye. Here, we describe, compare, and evaluate the morphology of the compound eye of Melipona favosa and Exaerete smaragdina , two corbiculate bee species found in South America, Colombia, and propose a biological interpretation for the observed differences. Our results show both species have apposition compound eyes with globular cornea, seen as well in other Hymenoptera species of small body size. Their ommatidia share the plesiomorphic Pancrustacea arrangement of four cone cells and eight retinular cells, supporting the hypothesis that some hymenopteran and lepidopteran species have convergently evolved one or more additional retinular cells, instead of the hypothesis that possessing nine retinular cells is a synapomorphy of the Hymenoptera order. E. smaragdina has longer ommatidia, which we propose as an adaptation to conditions of feeble light, sacrificing acuity for sensitivity as has been previously suggested for Hymenoptera. This species was always found foraging in patches of dense vegetation, while M. favosa nested and foraged on open plains with more direct sun light. Although our observations can be consistent with an ecological and behavioral interpretation, it is necessary that more non-model species are evaluated to understand the effect of phylogeny, ecology, and behavior on morphological variations of the compound eye, such as the acquisition or loss of retinular cells.