Apis Mellifera

News: Recently, a new set of protocols and scientific interventions has been developed in honey bee farming in Jammu and Kashmir, which allows beekeepers to rear colonies in sub-zero temperatures.

About Apis Mellifera

• The western honeybee, also known as the European honeybee, is one of several species in the genus Apis.
• Scientific name: Its scientific name is  Apis mellifera.
• Sub-species: There are currently 26 recognized subspecies of Apis mellifera.
• Habitat: They prefer habitats that have an abundant supply of suitable flowering plants.
  • They can survive in grasslands, deserts, and wetlands if there is sufficient water, food, and shelter. 
  • They need cavities (e.g. in hollow trees) to nest in.
• Distribution:
  • They are originally native to Europe, western Asia, and Africa.
  • However, they are now widely distributed across East Asia, Australia, and both North and South America, and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
• Characteristics 
  • Appearance: They are generally red/brown in colour with black bands and orange-yellow rings on the abdomen. 
    • They have hair on the thorax and less hair on the abdomen.
    • They have two pairs of wings and a slender waist.
    • They also have a pollen basket on their hind legs. 
  • There are two castes of females: Sterile workers are smaller (adults 10-15 mm long), fertile queens are larger (18-20 mm). 
    • Males, called drones, are 15-17 mm long at maturity. 
    • Both castes of females have a stinger that is formed from modified ovipositor structures. 
    • Males have much larger eyes than females, probably to help locate flying queens during mating flights.
    • Workers and queens possess stingers spiked with venom coming from abdominal glands.
  • Diet: They feed on pollen and nectar collected from blooming flowers.
    • They also eat honey (stored, concentrated nectar) and secretions produced by other members of their colony.
  • Behaviour: 
    • Foraging: It only occurs during daylight, but bees are active in the hive continuously.
    • Communication: Their communication is based on chemical signals, and most of their communication and perception behaviours are centred around scent and taste.
    • They are partially endothermic.
      • They can warm their bodies and the temperature in their hive by working their flight muscles.
    • They are eusocial, creating colonies with a single fertile female (Queen), many normally non-reproductive females (Workers), and a small proportion of fertile males (Drones). Individual colonies can house tens of thousands of bees.
• Lifecycle: They are holometabolous insects, and have four stages in the life cycle – egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
• Ecosystem role: They play a key ecological role as primary pollinators, supporting plant reproduction and maintaining biodiversity.
• Economic Importance: They were one of the first domesticated insects. They are the primary species maintained by beekeepers for both their honey production and pollination activities.
• Threat: They are threatened by pests and diseases, especially the Varroa mite and colony collapse disorder.