Table 1. Mean and standard deviation of colony sizes in five species of stingless bees (Melipona flavolineata , Melipona fasciculata , Scaptotrigona aff. postica ,Frieseomelitta longipes , Plebeia minima ). n = Number of colonies counted, Adult bees = Number of adult bees counted in each colony (males + workers), Sample size = colony size considering (small <1,000 adult bees; medium = between 1,000 and 5,000 adult bees and large-sized colonies >5,000 adult bees), Total population = Adult bees + Brood cells, Brood cells= Number of brood cells (bees in the egg, larva or pupa phase) counted in each colony, Range of adult bees = Minimum and maximum the number of adult bees for each species studied.