I thought this was very interesting, as it contrasts strongly with the habits of Apis species:

In Melipona species, all castes of bees - including queens - are reared in identical cells. This is in contrast to many other species {especially Trigona spp.), in which royal cells are larger and constructed at the edge of the comb. An important feature of M beecheii is that new queens are produced all year round. 

The fate of a newly emerged queen is determined by the condition of the colony and the 'ruling' queen at the time. If there is no opportunity for the new queen to succeed the old queen or to start a new colony, she will be assassinated by workers. If there is an opportunity for swarming, the virgin queen leaves the hive with a part of the colony. 

The 'nuptial' or mating flight occurs after swarming to a new site: probably triggered by chemical communication, drones of another nest congregate within royal flight-range of the new colony. The workers having stimulated the queen to leave the nest, she heads for the waiting drones. 

After mating, parts of the successful male's genitals remain attached to those of the queen. She is then ready to oviposit and fertilize the eggs. Before swarming, groups of worker bees prepare the new nest, transferring materials from the mother- to the daughter-nest. 

The daughter-colony remains dependent on the mothercolony for several weeks after swarming, food and building materials continuing to be transferred. Research has yet to determine the maximum distance between mother- and daughter- colony, though it can be safely assumed that this cannot exceed the maximum flight-range of individuals in the mother colony. 

This makes the bees extremely vulnerable to fragmentation of their natural habitat. This vulnerability is aggravated by a scarcity of nesting sites as a result of deforestation: if no suitable cavities {man-made or otherwise) are to be found in the vicinity of the colony, it will be impossible for the bees to swarm and reproduce naturally.  

[quoted for review purposes only]

De Jong, H. J. (1999). The land of corn and honey: the keeping of stingless bees (meliponiculture) in the ethno-ecological environment of Yucatan (Mexico) and El Salvador.

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