Question

Name one exotic variety of bees.
(a) Apis florea
(b) Apis dorsata
(c) Apis indica
(d) Apis mellifica

Answer 1

Hint: The common name for this honeybee is European honey bee or western honey bee. It is the most common of the 8–12 species of honey bees.

Complete step-by-step answer:
The two types of breeds of bees are indigenous and exotic.
Exotic breeds are Apis mellifica, Apis laboriosa and indigenous breeds are Apis cerana, Apis indica, Apis florae.

Additional information:

Apis mellifera:
-The name Apis in Latin stands for "bee" and mellifera stands for "honey-bearing", referring to the species' producing honey.
-In a colony, there can be houses of tens of thousands of bees. One of the first domesticated insects was a western honey bee and it is the primary species maintained by beekeepers to this day for both its honey production and pollination activities.
-These bees reproduce through a process called swarming. They undergo complete metamorphosis, the four distinct life stages are egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
- The queen produces female workers that develop from fertilized diploid (paired chromosome one from each parent) eggs.
-The colonies of male bees are known as drones. They lack stingers. The primary purpose of a drone honey bee is to fertilize a new queen and usually do not forage for nectar or pollen.

- Apis Florea is also known as the dwarf honey bee or a red dwarf honey bee and is unique for its morphology, foraging behavior, and defensive mechanisms like making a piping noise.
-Apis dorsata or the giant honey bee is usually around 17–20 mm long.
-Apis cerana indica also known as the Indian honey bee. They are important pollinators of coconut palms.

So, the correct option is 'Apis mellifica'.

Note: The 11 known species are from the genus Apis. The maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans is known as apiculture. Indigenous peoples have traditionally used these species as a source of honey and beeswax.