Apis cerana
Eastern honey bee ( Apis cerana )
- Apis cerana cerana
- Apis cerana himalaya
- Apis cerana indica
- Apis cerana japonica
The Eastern honey bee ( Apis cerana ), also formerly known as Indian or Asian honey bee, is one of the eight occurring in Asia species of honey bees. It is so to speak the east -Asian counterpart to the Western honey bee ( Apis mellifera) and is regarded as the original host of the parasitic Varroa mite. Its distribution area is in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Borneo and Japan, where it occurs in several subtypes. In China, for example, bees are kept in beehives in about 2 million cases, but also wild peoples will be plundered (Honey hunting ).
Unlike the European honey bee, the Eastern honey bee lives with the Varroa mite in a matched and balanced relationship. Through various defense mechanisms, such as grooming and shorter capping brood, this mite can reproduce only in drone brood and only in limited numbers at her. Treatment of Varroa mite is therefore not necessary in these nations. In eastern Russia, it came back in 1952 to host exchange of Apis cerana to Apis mellifera. One can assume that another such host shift has taken place around 1957 in Japan.
In many areas of Asia - mostly as rural sideline - the Eastern honey bee races are traditionally held in log hives or bees walls. Because of the higher efficiency of these bees are now being held increasingly in magazine Booties. Despite lower average income, the Eastern honey bee in many areas because of better climatic adaptation and tolerance to varroa infestation (no expensive and complicated combat required) the better choice. In recent times, the economies with moveable hives from developed areas is also extended through development assistance to rural underdeveloped areas.
Counter-attacks by hornets, such as the Asian Riesenhornisse, the Eastern honey bee defends using the heat ball. This makes it the only state-forming insect that can defend itself against the Riesenhornisse.
Distribution area of Apis cerana in Nepal.
A. cerana bees form a ball by attacking hornets and kill them by briefly heating to 45 ° C