Apis cerana, the eastern honey bee, Asiatic honey bee or Asian honey bee, is a species of honey bee native to South, Southeast and East Asia. This species is the sister species of Apis koschevnikovi and both are in the same subgenus as the western (European) honey bee, Apis mellifera.Engel, M.S. (1999) The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apis). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 8: pp. 165–196.Photos of Apis cerana A. cerana is known to live sympatrically along 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.Nanork, P., et al. "Social parasitism by workers in queenless and queenright Apis cerana colonies." Molecular ecology 16.5 (2007): 1107-1114. The diet of this honey bee species consists mostly of pollen and nectar, or honey.Haydak, Maykola H. "Honey bee nutrition." Annual Review of Entomology 15.1 (1970): 143-156. Moreover, Apis cerana is known for its highly social behavior, reflective of its classification as a type of honey bee.
The terms Apis cerana indica and Apis Indica or Indian honey bee, is a historic term, with all Asian hive bees now referred to as Apis cerana.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
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 eastern honey bee is of the Apidae family, one of the most diverse families of bees, including honey bees, carpenter bees, orchid bees, bumblebees, cuckoo bees, and even stingless bees.Michener, Charles Duncan. The bees of the world. Vol. 1. JHU Press, 2000.
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. Moreover, 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.Winston, Mark L. The biology of the honey bee. Harvard University Press, 1991. For these reasons, it has now been concluded that these are in fact two separate species, contrary to prior beliefs.
Infraspecific groupings Historically, Apis cerana has been subdivided into eight subspecies according to Engel (1999); they are:
Apis cerana cerana Fabricius (= sinensis) (Chinese honey bee) - Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, northern Vietnam, southern and coastal China, Taiwan, South Korea and North Korea and Primorsky Krai in RussiaPesenko, Yu. A.; Lelej, A. S.; Radchenko, V. G. & G. N. Filatkin. (1990) The Chinese wax bee Apis cerana cerana F. (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in the Soviet Far East. Entomological Review (Washington) 69(3): 21–46. Apis cerana heimifeng Engel (black Chinese honey bee) - highlands in central China Apis cerana indica Fabricius (Indian honey bee) - Southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Apis cerana japonica Fabricius (Japanese honey bee) - Japan Apis cerana javana Enderlein (Javan honey bee) - Java to East Timor Apis cerana johni Skorikov (Sumatran honey bee) - Sumatra Apis cerana nuluensis Tingek, Koeniger and Koeniger (Bornean honey bee) - Borneo Apis cerana skorikovi Engel (= himalaya) (Himalayan honey bee) - the central and eastern Himalayan mountains (Ruttner, 1987)
Recent genetic analysis, however, has determined that some of the subspecies described may have been inadvertent misidentifications of very similar sympatric species, including Apis koschevnikovi of Borneo and Apis nigrocincta of the Philippines. Apis cerana nuluensis of Borneo is also now generally considered to be a separate species, as Apis nuluensis.
Radloff et al. (2010) have instead chosen to subdivide Apis cerana into six main statistically defined populations based on morphotypes ("morphoclusters"), instead of infraspecific ranks, which they argue were invalidly established and not biologically meaningful. These morphoclusters are: Northern cerana (Morphocluster I) - extends from northern Afghanistan and Pakistan to northwest India, southern Tibet, northern Myanmar, China and into the Korean Peninsula, far eastern Russia and Japan. They can be further subdivided into six subclusters: an "Indus" group (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir); a "Himachali" group (Himachal Pradesh, India); an "Aba" group (larger bees in southern Gansu, central and northern Sichuan, northern China and Russia); a central and eastern China subcluster; a "southern" cerana subcluster in southern Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan; and a "Japonica" group in Japan, North Korea and South Korea. Synonyms: A. skorikovi, A. c. abansis, A. c. abanensis, A. c. bijjieca, A. c. cathayca, A. c. cerana, A. c. fantsun, A. c. hainana, A. c. hainanensis, A. c. heimifeng, A. c. indica, A. c. japonica, A. c. javana, A. c. kweiyanga, A. c. maerkang, A. c. pekinga, A. c. peroni, A. c. skorikovi, A. c. shankianga and A. c. twolareca Himalayan cerana (Morphocluster II) - extends from northern India, Tibet and Nepal. Has two subclusters: the "Hills" group (northeast) and the "Ganges" group (southwest). Synonyms: A. c. indica Indian Plains cerana (Morphocluster III) - extends from the plains of central and southern India and into Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; also known as the Plains cerana . Synonyms: A. c. indica Indo-Chinese cerana (Morphocluster IV) - extends from Myanmar, northern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and southern Vietnam. Synonyms: A. c. indica and A. c. javana Philippine cerana (Morphocluster V) - restricted mostly to the Philippines, excluding Palawan. Has three subclusters, the "Luzon" bees, "Visayas" bees and "Mindanao" bees, with the latter two being more closer morphometrically than the "Luzon" bees. A population is also found in central Sulawesi. Synonyms: A. philippina, A. c. philippina and A. c. samarensis Indo-Malayan cerana (Morphocluster VI) - extends from southern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Palawan (the Philippines). Has three subclusters: one in Palawan, another in northern Borneo and Kalimantan and another in Java, Bali, Irian Jaya, Sulawesi and Sumatra. Synonyms: A. cerana, A. indica, A. javana, A. c. johni, A. lieftincki, A. peroni, A. vechti linda and A. v. vechti
Latest 2023 list of sub species of Apis cerana:
Apis cerana cerana Apis cerana kashmirensis Apis cerana japonica Apis cerana hainana Apis cerana abansis Apis cerana guidensis Apis cerana skorikovi Apis cerana taiwanesis
Description and identification The physical characteristics of Apis cerana individuals are very similar to those of other species in the genus Apis. The individuals in this genus are defined by long, erect hairs that cover the compound eyes and assist in pollen collection, strongly convex scutellum, and a jugal lobe in the hindwing. Adult Apis cerana are black in color, with four yellow abdominal stripes. There are also distinctions between worker bees, queens, and drones. Worker bees are characterized by a pollen press on the hind leg to transport pollen, as well as a stinger in the place of an organ for laying eggs. Queens, which are the reproductive females, are typically larger than worker bees due to their enlarged reproductive organs. Drones, which are the males of the species, are defined by larger eyes, lack of a stinger, and a blunter abdominal shape.
Distribution and habitat
Apis cerana encompass a wide range of climatic zones including moist tropical rainforests, wet-dry tropical savannas, mid-latitude steppes, dry mid-latitude grasslands, moist continental deciduous forests, and taigas. The natural range of Apis cerana extends from Primorsky Krai in Russia in the north, to eastern Indonesia in the south; and to Japan in the east, to as far as the highlands of Afghanistan in the west. Countries they are native to include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. It was introduced deliberately to New Guinea in the 1970s, and has since spread into the Torres Strait Islands into Australia and the Solomon Islands.Koetz A. 2012. Spread of Apis cerana in Australia, 2007 – 2012; Asian honey bee Transition to Management Program. Queensland government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Although the species was naturally clustered in East Asia, it has now expanded to various regions across the world as a result of human interference, with particular concern about its invasive potential in Australia as nests are found in a variety of environments, including both natural and man-made (see below).
Nest As a type of honey bee, Apis cerana must collect and store around a third of its nectar in a concentrated form in order to ensure an adequate supply for consumption during the harsh winter. The nest is multi-combed and somewhat insulated, allowing the species to achieve optimal nest temperatures and thereby optimize foraging at early hours. The nest itself is a simple vertical comb made from wax secreted by workers, while the thermoregulation is generated by fanning and water evaporation from water collected in the field. This large-scale storage tactic requires the construction of a stable and sturdy comb structure for such honey storage. However, as the production of beeswax for a comb is an energetically expensive endeavor, colonies do not generally build the entire structure very early on. Instead, the colony builds a smaller set of combs that satisfies the initial storage needs. Upon moving into the new nest, the colony will then continue to enlarge the combs until there are enough storage units to sufficiently account for all of the required honey. In general, the initial set of combs may account for around 20,000 cells, while the final, completed structure may contain up to 100,000. These nests are typically large enough to host around 6,000 to 7,000 individuals and are found in a wide range of external environments.
Nest thermoregulation A. cerana maintains internal hive temperatures with a precision similar to that of A. mellifera, using similar mechanisms. A. cerana maintain body temperatures in a range of 33–35.5 °C even while ambient temperatures vary between 12 and 36 °C. This mechanism clearly shows them to possess effective nest thermoregulation systems. During summer, A. cerana employs evaporative cooling, where the worker bees cluster outside the nest in hot weather and fan their wings, thus removing excess heat and moisture from the nest and decreasing the hive temperature.
Thermal defense
When an A. cerana hive is invaded by the Japanese giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), about 500 Japanese honey bees (A. cerana japonica) surround the hornet and vibrate their flight muscles until the temperature is raised to 47 °C (117 °F), heating the hornet to death, but keeping the temperature still under their own lethal limit (48–50 °C).
Behavior
Colony cycle