Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-p566r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T22:22:52.350Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Characteristics of trees used as nest sites by Apis dorsata (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2009

Sumin George Thomas
Affiliation:
Keystone Foundation, Kotagiri, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu 643217, India
Anita Varghese
Affiliation:
Keystone Foundation, Kotagiri, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu 643217, India
Pratim Roy
Affiliation:
Keystone Foundation, Kotagiri, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu 643217, India
Nicola Bradbear
Affiliation:
Bees for Development, Monmouth NP25 9AA, UK
Simon G. Potts
Affiliation:
Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, UK
Priya Davidar*
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Pondicherry 605014, India
*
1Corresponding author. Email: pdavidar@yahoo.com

Extract

Nest site selection is critical for social insects since poor choices can heighten predation risks and result in reproductive failure (Franks et al. 2002). Social bees vary in their nest site requirements and among the Apis bees in South Asia, Apis dorsata and A. florea nest in open combs, whereas Apis cerana nests in cavities (Crane 1999). Apis dorsata often nests in aggregations, and the large open nests can be about 1.5 m wide and are located in sites such as cliff faces or on the underside of branches of tall trees that are inaccessible to most predators except skilled fliers and climbers (Crane 1999, Seeley et al. 1982). Apis dorsata, which is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia, is an important source of honey and wax for local communities, and understanding its nesting biology would help in the management and conservation of this economically important species.

Type
Short Communication
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

CRANE, E. 1999. The world history of bee keeping and honey hunting. Taylor & Francis, London. 720 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FRANKS, N. R., PRATT, S. C., MALLON, E. B., BRITTON, N. F. & STUMPER, D. J. T. 2002. Information flow, opinion polling and collective intelligence in house-hunting social insects. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 357:15671583.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
GAMBLE, J. S. 1935. Flora of the Presidency of Madras. Adlard and Sons Limited, London. 2017 pp.Google Scholar
KOENIGER, N. & KOENIGER, G. 1980. Observations and experiments on migration and dance communication of Apis dorsata in Sri Lanka. Journal of Apicultural Research 19:2134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LAURANCE, W. F. 2007. Forest destruction in tropical Asia. Current Science 93:15441550.Google Scholar
MATTHEW, K. M. 1983. The Flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic. Rapinat Herbarium, St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli. 2154 pp.Google Scholar
PAAR, J., OLDROYD, B. P. & KASTBERGER, G. 2000. Giant honeybees return to their nest sites. Nature 406:475.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SEELEY, T. D., SEELEY, R. H. & AKRATANAKUL, P. 1982. Colony defense strategies of the honeybees in Thailand. Ecological Monographs 52:4363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar