Honeybee Species

The Dwarf Honeybee Species

• The dwarf honeybees are the species consisting of the smallest honeybees. These bees also produce the least amount of honey. The live in warm climates all over southeast Asia. Dwarf honeybees nest in the open, hanging from tree branches or in caves. The nests are often hung on branches containing lots of foliage, which allows for some camouflage. This isn't enough for protection, so this species' comb is covered with a layer of three or four worker bees that ward off invasion with a menacing, synchronized movement; they attack in unison when provoked. The dwarf honeybees also coat the sides of their nest with a sticky plant gum to ward off ants. This species is primarily found in rural areas and, although people do harvest their honey, the practice is time-consuming and ecologically damaging.

The Giant Honeybee Species

• As its name suggests, the giant honeybee species include the largest honeybees. These bees inhabit the same parts of Southeast Asia as the dwarf species, but are markedly different in other ways. Like the dwarfs, the giant honeybees build their nests in the open, but much higher off the ground, sometimes as high as 82 feet in the air. Their nests can also be as large as 3 feet across. It is not uncommon to find 10 to 20 nests in the same "bee tree." With their combs in plain view, colony defense is especially crucial to the giant honeybee Seventy-five percent of the worker population is used for colony defense, and they have been known to pursue invaders for over half a mile. Despite this impediment, the giant honeybees honey is highly prized, and giant honeybee hunting is organized in much of Asia.

The Oriental Honeybee Species

• Unlike the dwarf and giant honeybee species, the oriental honeybee species create their nests in dark rock cavities and hollow trees. They also live in a much larger area than either the dwarf or the giant honeybee, from Japan and Russia all across the Asian continent. Historically, humans have been able to keep colonies inside clay pots or boxes for easy transport and manageability. The worker bee's body size is much smaller than the giant honeybee workers. The combs reflect this fact, with smaller cell sizes for the workers and large cells for the drones. The oriental honeybee builds multiple, parallel combs near each other, with an equally distant "bee space" between each. Beekeepers have favored the oriental honeybee over both the dwarf and giant because of their portability, but the bees do have a tendency to escape toward wild, more private nesting sites when given the chance.

The European Honeybee Species

• Also known as the common honeybee, the European honeybee species, scientific name Apis mellifera, is just that: common. It is the most widely kept and studied species of honeybee in the world. The European honeybee species can be found throughout Europe, Africa, parts of Asia and across North and South America. Like the oriental honeybee, the European honeybee constructs multiple combs in small, dark enclosures. Caves and hollow trees are typical. Their nests are build in parallel lines with equal spaces, "bee space," between them. Apis mellifera colonies have large populations ranging from 15,000 to 60,000 bees and can produce as much as 66 lbs. of honey per colony. The Europeans' ability to produce such quantities, along with its easy transport to locations rife with pollen, have made it the most popular and profitable as a commercially managed honeybee.