Honey Bee

• Social insect
• A colony consist with three casts
• Queen (female)
• Workers (female)
• Drone (Male)
• Live on combs made of wax

Prefer to shelter in dark, cooler cavities

Honey bee species which are used for bee keeping

Apis cerana (Eastern honey bee)

• Produce 4-5 Kg of honey
• Resistant to pest and disease

Sub sp. - Apis cerana indica (indigenous honey Bee)

*Apis milifera (European honey bee)

• Produce 40-50 Kg of honey
• Susceptible to pest and disease

Importance of Queen Honey Bee

• Single Mother of the colony
• Lay two types of eggs
• Fertilized eggs, unfertilized eggs
• Transmit her characters to her offspring 
• Egg laying rate 
• Honey production 
• Resistance to disease
• Queen pheromones
• Maintain the colony cohesion 
• Inhibit ovarian development of workers 
• Influence the behavior of the workers
• Foraging
• Brood rearing
• Comb building 
• Life span 3-4 years