Apis dorsata
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| iGiant honey bee | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Apis dorsata Fabricius, 1793 |
Apis dorsata, or the Giant honey bee, is a honey bee of southern and southeastern Asia, and is the largest member of the genus Apis.
In the wild, they prefer to nest in exposed areas far off the ground, on tree limbs and under cliff overhangs, and sometimes on buildings. They are aggressive bees which have never been domesticated (as they do not use enclosed cavities for nesting), and can be extremely dangerous if the colony is provoked. Each colony consists of a single vertical comb (sometimes approaching a square meter) suspended from above, and the comb is typically covered by a dense mass of bees. When approached, the workers may exhibit a warning posture, and this signal is transmitted to nearby workers that also adopt the posture, thus creating a visible (and audible) "ripple" effect across the face of the comb, in an almost identical manner to an audience wave at a crowded stadium.
Despite its aggressive nature, indigenous peoples have used this species as a source of honey and beeswax, a practice known as "honey hunting."
[edit] Subspecies
(following Engel, 1999).
- Apis dorsata dorsata Fabricius - the nominate subspecies, primarily from India
- Apis dorsata binghami Cockerell - the subspecies from Malaysia and Indonesia
- Apis dorsata breviligula Maa - the subspecies from the Philippines
- Apis dorsata laboriosa Fabricius - the Himalayan subspecies, also in Myanmar, Laos, and southern China
[edit] Sources
- Engel, M.S. (1999) The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apis). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 8: 165-196.es:Apis dorsata
