Question

Apis dorsata is
(a)Little bee
(b)Rock bee
(c)European bee
(d)Indian bee

Answer 1

Hint: Apis dorsata is the giant wild honeybees. It is the largest Indian bee and it lives all over India and Myanmar. It builds combs on tall trees, steep rocks, the ceiling of abandoned buildings, etc. They are in the habit of periodically deserting their hives and shifting their colony from one place to another. They are very aggressive in nature and may get easily provoked.

Complete answer:
Apis dorsata is commonly known as the rock honey bee or forest honeybee. The common species of honey bees found in India and south-east Asian countries are Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, Apis Florea, Melipona iridipennis, and trigona species. The combs of these bees always remain vertically suspended. Sometimes, several combs may be made on the same tree. The workers of rock bees are light brown in color, drones are black and the queen much darker. They are excellent nectar collectors, pollen gathers, honey producers, and wax makers. A colony can make as much as 40Kg of honey and nearly 1.2 Kg of beeswax in one year. Rock bees are aggressive creatures and they get easily provoked.

Additional Information: -When enraged, they chase their enemies over long distances and sometimes sting them to death.
-Their ferocious temper, large size, and nomadic habit make their domestication rather impossible.
-Apis dorsata is a wild species. They shift their colony from one place to another either in search of blossom flora or to escape from enemies and unfavorable conditions.
So, The correct option is B.

Note: - Honeybees belong to the family Apida, order Hymenoptera, class Insecta.
-Most of the known honeybees belong to the genus Apis. The important species of this genus are Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, Apis Florea, etc.
-Apis cerana is the completely domesticated species, commonly called Indian honeybee or eastern honeybee.