Eastern honey bee

Eastern honey bee
Asiatic honey bee - Khao Yai National Park, Thailand
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Apis
Species:	A. cerana
Binomial name
Apis cerana Fabricius, 1793
Range of Apis cerana

Apis cerana, or the Asiatic honey bee (or the eastern honey bee), is a species of honey bee found in southern and southeastern Asia, including China, Pakistan, India, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Australia. This species is the sister species of Apis koschevnikovi, and both are in the same subgenus as the western (European) honey bee, Apis mellifera.A. cerana is known to live sympatrically as well with Apis koschevnikovi within the same geographic location.Apis cerana colonies are known for building nests consisting of multiple combs in cavities containing a small entrance, presumably for defense against invasion by individuals of another nest. The diet of this honey bee species consists mostly of pollen and nectar, or honey. Moreover, Apis cerana is known for its highly social behavior, reflective of its classification as a type of honey bee.

Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius described Apis cerana, also known as the Eastern or Asian honey bee, in 1793. The genus name Apis is Latin for “bee.” The Asiatic honey bee is of the Apidae family, one of the most diverse families of bees, including common honey bees, carpenter bees, orchid bees, bumblebees, cuckoo bees, and even stingless bees.

In the past, there has been discussion that Apis cerana and Apis mellifera are simply distinct races of the same species. This is essentially due to overwhelming similarities in both morphology and behavior, as both are medium-sized bees (10-11mm) that generally build multiple comb nests inside cavities. Other honey bee species, including the giant honey bees Apis dorsata and Apis laboriosa, generally construct nests consisting of a single comb in open areas. However, despite the striking similarities between Apis cerana and Apis mellifera, there is evidence to suggest that these two species are quite distinct; for example, mating between these species does not produce offspring. In addition, while Apis mellifera colonies can reach sizes of up to 50,000 or more individuals, Apis cerana colonies are relatively small, with only around 6,000 to 7,000 workers. Morevoer, Apis cerana is found predominantly in the Eastern Asian region of the world, while Apis mellifera is found predominantly in the Western European and African region of the world. For these reasons, it has now been concluded that these are in fact two separate species, contrary to prior beliefs.

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Wikipedia