Apis cerana, or the Asiatic Honeybee or the Eastern Honeybee, are small honeybees of southern and southeastern Asia, such as China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea.

In the wild, they prefer to nest in small spaces, such as the hole of tree trunks. Like the honeybee (Apis mellifera), they are partly domesticated and used in apiculture, mostly in wooden boxes with fixed frames. Their size is similar or somewhat smaller than the Apis mellifera. They also have a more prominent abdominal stripes. Their honey yield is smaller, because they form smaller colonies. Their beeswax is used to treat and heal wounds.

Apis cerana is the natural host to the mite genus Varroa destructor, a serious pest of the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). Through a more careful grooming, they have a better defense mechanism against Varroa mites.

• Thermal defense: When their hive is invaded by the Japanese giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica), about 500 Japanese honeybees (A. cerana japonica) surround the hornet and vibrate until the temperature is raised to 47°C (117°F), heating the hornet to death, but still under their own lethal limit (48-50°C).

Subspecies

• Apis cerana javana
• Apis cerana indica
• Apis cerana sinensis
• Apis cerana japonica

External link

Photos of Apis cerana