👯 Bee Species

5 Most important species found in India

Which of the following character is correctly matched with honeybee species?
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Honey producing families are Apidae, Meliponidae and Bombidae.
  • There are five important species of honey bees as follows:

1. Rock Bee

  • Apis dorsata
  • Hymenoptera: Apidae
  • It is a wild bee species.
  • They construct single comb in open (About 6 ft long and 3ft deep).
  • They shift the place of the colony often.
  • Rock bees are ferocious and difficult to rear.
  • They produce about 36 Kg of honey/year/hive.
  • The bees are the largest among the bee described.

2. Little Bee

  • Apis florea
  • Hymenoptera: Apidae
  • They also construct comb in open of the size of palm in branches of bushes, hedges, buildings, caves, empty cases etc.
  • They produce about half Kg of honey/year/hive.
  • They are not rearable as they frequently change their place.
  • The size of the bees is smallest among 4 Apis Sp. described. (smaller than Indian bee).
  • They distributed only in plains and not in hills above 450 m.

3. Indian Bee

  • Apis cerana indica
  • Hymenoptera: Apidae
  • Aka Asian Bee
  • They make multiple parallel combs on trees and cavities in darkness.
  • The bees are larger than Apis florae but smaller than Apis mellifera.
  • They produce average 6 to 8 Kg of honey/year/hive.
  • They are more prone to swarming and absconding.
  • They are native of India/Asia.

4. Italian Bee

  • Apis mellifera
  • Hymenoptera: Apidae
  • Aka European Bee.
  • They also make multiple parallel combs in cavities in darkness.
  • They are larger than Indian bees but smaller than Rock bees.
  • They have been imported in India in 1962-1964 from European countrie (Italy).
  • They yield on an average 35 Kg of honey/year/hive.
  • They are less prone to swarming and absconding.
  • These are reared on commercial scale and produce highest honey. Therefore considered best bee under Indian environmental conditions.
  • After 2005, production of honey in India grown exponentially after the large scale rearing of A. mellifera.

5. Stingless Bee

  • Melipona irridipennis
  • Hymenoptera: Meliponidae
  • Aka Dammer Bee
  • Rearing of stingless bee is called Meliporiculture.
  • Melipona (Trigona) iridipennis makes compact combs made of cerumen.
  • Meliponidae constructs horizontal combs except Trigona staudingeri which has vertical combs.
References 
- https://nbb.gov.in/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee
- The Insects - Structure and Function (4th Edition, 1998) – R.F. Chapman. Cambridge University Press
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apiary
- https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/farm_enterprises/fe_api_typesofhoneybee.html

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