Melipona marginata (commonly known as Manduri) are among the smallest bees of the Melipona genus and are found in various biomes along Brazil’s east coast. They exhibit highly defensive behavior, have a limited foraging range, and maintain small colonies of between 300 and 1,000 individuals, which makes them more vulnerable to environmental degradation. They come in black or yellow varieties. In the following photos of bees in an outdoor setting (on a jabuticaba tree), the black ones are of unknown origin (wild or from another breeder), while the yellow ones were raised by me.
Black Manduri
Yellow Manduri
