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dorsata_closeup
A closeup of an old giant honey bee (Apis dorsata). While their body has similar diameters as mellifera (the average worker cell size is 5.4 mm across), they body is longer and wings has a smoky...
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dorsata_bee_tree
A silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba, Bombacaceae) with about 40-50 nests of giant honey bees. Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. April 2002. A silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba, Bombacaceae) with about 40-50...
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dorsata_emerging_drone_001
A drone of Apis dorsata emerging from his cell. Unlike in our bees, where the drone cell is much larger than worker's, in this bee there is no difference between the two! Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China....
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dorsata_mite
A newly emerged Apis dorsata worker. Notice the small mite on the thorax -- this is the notorious 'lesser' mite (Tropilelaeps clarae), a large pest in China and other Asian countries on Apis...
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dorsata_whole_nest
A giant honey bee nest on the eaves of a library (about 30 ft from ground). the nest is about 6 ft across. Someone has knocked a hole with a rock the day before, trying to steal some honey....
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dorsata_nest_guarding_edges
Because the giant honey bees nest in the open, they have many more guard bees compared to A. mellifera, which just needs 20-100 guards near the entrance. Here you see guard bees around the areas of...
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dorsata_finger
A newly emerged Apis dorsata on my thumb. Just like all honey bees, newly emerged bees do not sting and cannot fly. A newly emerged Apis dorsata on my thumb. Just like all honey bees, newly emerged...
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cerana_develop_s_001
Various stages of development of Apis cerana, from a larva to an adult bee. Various stages of development of Apis cerana, from a larva to an adult bee.
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cerana_drone_cap
Strange drone caps of Apis cerana. Workers remove the wax a few days after the drone larvae were sealed, exposing the cocoon-cap which has a small hole on it. The signicance of the hole is not clear....
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cerana_pollencomb
Apis cerana workers on pollen cells. Pollen cells are never sealed and are never filled near the top -- bees always leave about 20% space. Not sure why. Apis cerana workers on pollen cells. Pollen...
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cerana_honey
Apis cerana workers on sealed and open honey cells. Apis cerana workers on sealed and open honey cells.
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cerana_broodstages_s
This pictures shows all the brood stages: eggs, young and old larvae, and capped cells. The glistening cells contain honey and one contain pollen. Can you find the pollen cell? This pictures shows all...
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cerana_brood
Apis cerana workers on capped brood. A. cerana probably never reuses old wax for brood capping (as the mellifera do), since the brood capping is almost as clean as the honey capping. Apis cerana...
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cerana_larvae
Apis cerana larvae, about 2 days before being sealed. Unless you start with brand new foundation for Apis mellifera, you do not see beeswax this white for brood cells. In Apis cerana, they do not seem...
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cerana_develop_s
Various pupal stages of Apis cerana. Various pupal stages of Apis cerana.
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cerana_3w
Three cerana workers feeding on honey. Three cerana workers feeding on honey.
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cerana_queen_retinue
The queen in the center is seeing laying eggs with workers surrounding her. The queen in the center is seeing laying eggs with workers surrounding her.
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