1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1315 



B 



The Italian honey-bee- drone. 



Fig. 2. — The stingfless worker. 



THE STINGLESS BEE. 



A Comparison of the Melipona with the Mellifera; the Relative Importance and Possible 



Value of the Former. 



BY STEPHEN N. GREEN. 



[The followingr article was prepared by one of our men, Mr. Stephen N. Green, who was in Cuba one season 

 helping- to run our yard of 500 colonies. While on the island he made a special study of some varieties of stingless 

 bees found there, and on coming back to Medina he continued these studies, keeping up a correspondence with 

 several in the tropical regions, including our correspondent Mr. W. K. Morrison. The latter sent Mr. Green various 

 specimen lots of the stingless bees that he had secured in the tropics. Among these was a mailing-cage of some 

 extra-large ones, including a queen. As these arrived late, and as it would be impossible to unite them with ordi- 

 nary common hive bees, we concluded to do the next best thing— take some micro-photos of them. We accordingly 

 sent Mr. Green with the bees to Prof. Hines, at the Ohio State University, Columbus. The photos were taken, 

 showing the bees about three times larger than life size, and the same are here reproduced. The illustrations 

 alongside of the common honey-bee, also enlarged, will give an idea of their comparative sizes and general structure. 

 Unfortunately, we were unable to learn the name of this variety or the species. For the purpose of more ready 

 distinction it will be noted that Mr. Green refers to the common hive bee as Mellifera, and the stingless variety 

 under consideration as Melipojia. The former is the name of a species of the genus Apis, and the latter the name 

 of the genus for stingless bees in general; but as we have no name for the particular species here shown he calls 

 it by its generic name. — Ed.] 



To understand clearly the stingless bee 

 question it is well first to have fixed clearly 

 in our minds its position as to natural classi- 

 fication, and especially its position with re- 

 gard to the common honey-bee. Both belong 

 to the same family but are separate genera, 

 the scientific name, Apis, bejng applied 

 to our common honey-bee, and Melipona be- 

 ing the "stingless bee." The Trigona is an- 

 other genus, but it is so nearly like the Mel- 

 ipona that it is often classified as such. 



The object of this article is not to dwell 

 upon the species of melipona so much as 

 upon one variety, which, to the bee-man's 

 standard, is of the most importance. To this 

 species and variety I am, unfortunately, un- 

 able to give scientific names. The genus 

 itself is so little known, and this variety so 

 rare, that some of the best authorities in 

 the United States have so far been unable 



to classify it definitely. This variety finds 

 its home in the Orinoco region of Venezuela. 

 Only a few colonies, so far as known, are 

 kept elsewhere. 



To give a more definite idea of this, the 

 largest melipona we yet know of, I have 

 obtained micro-photos taken from life, show- 

 ing the variety alongside of the Italian 

 honey-bee. In such photos the magnifica- 

 tion of each set is the same (about three to 

 four diameters), so that the relative size is 

 plainly shown. 



Fig. 3 is the common every-day queen: 

 Fig. 4, the melipona queen. The difference 

 between them is very striking indeed. First, 

 it will be noted that the entire size of the 

 melipona queen is smaller than mellifera. 

 Next, the long graceful abdomen of the mel- 

 lifera contrasts strongly with the globular 

 abdomen of the melipona. In short, the mel- 



Fig. 12. — Wing of Italian honey-bee.. 



Fig. 11. — Wing of stingless bee. 



