88 J. C. Douglas — The Hive-Bees indigenous to India [No. 1, 



This bee is mach larger than Apis indica. It is certainly at least 

 a constant variety or race differing widely from A. indica ; possibly a 

 different species : the young queen of the hive that swarmed " mated 

 pure," although A. indica was present in large numbers in the neighbour- 

 hood, but the Bhootea drones were very numerous. If not a different 

 species, it is certainly close to the debatable ground between " species " 

 and " variety." It appears that the Bhootea bee and A. indica do not 

 breed with A. mellifica : I bred about 25 Italian queens only 5 of which 

 mated by reason of my having but very few drones ; the honey supply 

 apparently failed suddenly when not expected and the Italians destroyed 

 the drones ; I, however, let all the queens fly till mated, lost, or incapable 

 of mating, but in no case was a queen impregnated by a drone of the 

 Bhootea or Bengal species, though I had some thousands of Bhootea 

 drones in the same apiary, and A. indica was plentiful. I found also that 

 a queenless hive of A, ligustica would sting a Bhootea drone to death 

 instantly, if he were placed on the flight-board : bees do not destroy their 

 own drones by stinging them ; they worry and starve them. Both A. indica 

 and the Bhootea bee attempt to rob A. ligustica, but not to any important 

 extent ; and they both abscond very readily, unless they have been a 

 month or more in the hive ; A. indica is the more prone to abscond. 

 One hive of A. indica had a laying worker when queenless. 



Both the above species are what would be termed swarming bees, that 

 is to say, they breed many drones and swarm frequently. The Bhootea 

 bee is exactly midway in size of body and of cell between A. indica and 

 A. mellifica, and it differs from both more widely than do any two varieties 

 of A. mellifica from one another. Though the Egyptian variety {A. fasci- 

 ata) builds a slightly smaller comb, it can use the comb of A. ligustica. 



Apis dorsata builds under boughs, normally a single comb, but under 

 favourable conditions, as in caves, it duplicates its comb. Cells 4^0 the 

 inch. No drone-comb differing from worker found in any comb examined. In 

 a comb from S. Coimbatore the actual measurements were 3 cells = '645", 

 i. e., 215" each, or 4-65 cells per inch ; otherthree were '225", '218", '230", 

 average 4*425 per inch. The Sikkim variety is larger than that found 

 in the plains, and the hill varieties generally appear darker and larger than 

 those of the plains; specimens from Jubbulpore are very light-colour- 

 ed. A comb of the Sikkim variety would be interesting to ascertain if it 

 differs from the comb of the plains, and if it has drone- cells. In many parts 

 it migrates at certain seasons, and it leaves its comb readily on failure of 

 pasturage. It is reputed vicious, but this is not confirmed by experts ; nor 

 is its sting exceptionally severe. This bee is confined to the plains or does 

 not extend beyond about 3000 feet of altitude. It builds no special drone- 

 comb, all its cells are the same size, and its drone is not differentiated from 



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