In case anyone wants to read it, heres the accompanying description I just sent to the Entomological Society of America to go along with my 2015 calendar photo of dwarf honey bees frolicking in Thailand: The Red Dwarf Honey Bee, Apis florea, represents one of the most primitive honey bees alive today. Honey bees, genus Apis, are thought to have diverged from their spheciform wasp ancestors some 40 million years ago in South and Southeast Asia, as all extant Apis species but one (the well-known Apis mellifera) are native to this region. Their primitive status is reflected in their relatively small colony size, simple nest construction, and simplified communication; in addition, recent phylogenetic research has confirmed the basal status of A. florea in the honey bee clade. This photograph of red dwarf honey bees pollinating a water lily (as well as a smaller stingless bee, genus Trigona) from Bangkok, Thailand offers a glimpse of the geographical and ecological context in which honey bees evolved.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 23:38:15 +0000
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