Apis nigrocincta

Apis nigrocincta is one of nine species of honey bees. Apis nigrocincta before coming on the islands of Mindanao and Sangihe of the Philippines and the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia.

Like the closely related species Apis cerana Apis nigrocincta build their nests in caves. Between closely related species, there are subtle differences in the morphology and in the genes of the nucleus and mitochondria, as well as in the behavior.

In areas where A. cerana and A. nigrocincta live together, they can 'll distinguished by color and size: A. cerana is relatively dark and smaller, while A. nigrocincta is rather larger and a yellowish clypeus ( front plate ) has.

The shape of the honeycomb differ: the opening of the drone cells A. cerana is sealed with a wax lid. In the floor of A. nigrocincta, however, the drones cell has an opening without a wax cap. Queens of A. nigrocincta also place more drone eggs than queens of A. cerana.

The two species also prefer different times to collect pollen.

A. nigrocincta is also infested with the Varroa mite.