Introduction to Apiculture and Bee Species of India
This domain tests whether you can name and separate the honey bee species found in India and explain why apiculture matters in Indian agriculture and rural employment.
Species you must distinguish
- Apis dorsata (rock bee): largest Indian honey bee; builds a single large open comb on cliffs, tall trees and buildings; aggressive; migratory; cannot be managed in boxes.
- Apis cerana indica (Indian hive bee): medium-sized; builds multiple parallel combs in cavities; managed in Newton hives; docile but prone to absconding and Thai sacbrood.
- Apis florea (little bee): smallest; single small comb on bushes; open-nesting; low honey yield; not a managed species.
- Apis mellifera (European hive bee): introduced; managed in Langstroth hives; high yield, but needs more brood care and is susceptible to Varroa.
- Stingless bees such as Trigona iridipennis and the Himalayan Apis laboriosa are also Indian bees; the latter is a cliff-nesting species.
Why apiculture is examined
Apiculture supplies honey, beeswax, propolis, royal jelly and pollination. In India it supports tribal and marginal livelihoods and is promoted through the National Bee Board and KVIC.
Worked example
A specimen is large, blackish, builds one exposed comb under a rock overhang, and migrates seasonally. Reasoning: exposed single comb plus large size and migration points to A. dorsata, not A. cerana, which nests in cavities with parallel combs.
Traps
Do not call every managed bee A. mellifera; A. cerana is the native managed bee. Do not claim A. dorsata can be hived. Do not confuse A. florea with A. dorsata: comb number and size separate them. Do not forget stingless bees when asked for Indian bee species.