Uruçu Bees:
They are known for being large, robust bees and excellent honey producers. Uruçu is a word that comes from the tupi “eiru su”, which in the indigenous language means “big bee”. Therefore the workers measure from 10mm to 12mm in length.

Queen
As uruçu bees are of the genus Melipona, out of every 100 bees that are born, 12 to 30 are virgin princesses. So the swarm chooses one to become the queen and she makes the nuptial flight to be fertilized by a drone. The other princesses of uruçu bees are eliminated from the hive.

The swarm also decides the moment to exchange the queen because she is old and laying poorly.

Population: 5 thousand to 6 thousand bees..

Flight range: 3 km.

INPA Box Size: Nest and over nest 20x20x7. Melgueira 20x20x5.

Distance between hives: 20 cm away

Honey production: 2.5 to 4 liters per year