Species Apis (Apis) mellifera Linnaeus, 1758
Type data:
Lectotype LS worker, Europe.Subsequent designation references:
Day, M.C. 1979. The species of Hymenoptera described by Linnaeus in the genera Sphex, Chrysis, Vespa, Apis and Mutilla. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society of London 12: 45-84 [Date published 31/12/1979] [67].- Apis aenigmaticus Rayment, T. 1925. A new species of honey-bee. Australasian Beekeeper XXVII: 67-69 [Date published 31/12/1925] [67].
Type data:
Status unknown, Gippsland, VIC
Comment: species name based on drawing of comb constructed by insect, and hearsay description of insect, no evidence that either combs or specimens exist. - Apis trigona Rayment, T. 1925. A new species of honey-bee. Australasian Beekeeper XXVII: 67-69 [Date published 31/12/1925] [69] [nom. nud. name only without description or illustration; see Cardale, J.C. in Houston, W.W.K. & Maynard, G.V. (eds) 1993. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 10, Hymenoptera: Apoidea. Canberra : AGPS (317, 327)].
Distribution
States
Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Extra Distribution Information
Cosmopolitan, introduced into all regions of Australia.
Introduced from Palaearctic Region.
Other Regions
Heard & McDonald Islands (Aust. Terr.), Norfolk Island terrestrial & freshwater
Ecological Descriptors
Adult: mellivore, volant.
Larva: sedentary.
Extra Ecological Information
Social insects, living in large colonies, with female reproductive and worker castes, nests of wax and resin, exposed, or in cavities such as hives or in trees, flower visiting record: probably all angiosperms and nectar and pollen producing plants.
General References
Alexander, B.A. 1991. Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Apis (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 84: 137-149 [Date published 31/12/1991] (taxonomy)
Barrett, P. 1995. The Immigrant Bees 1788–1898: A Cyclopaedia on the Introduction of European Honey Bees into Australia and New Zealand. Springwood : Peter Barrett 186 pp. [1-186] (history of introduction into Australia)
Barrett, P. 1999. The Immigrant Bees 1788 to 1898. Volume 2. An update on the Introduction of European Honeybees into Australia and New Zealand. Springwood, NSW : P. Barrett 164 pp. [1-164] (history of honeybees in Australia)
Blake, S.T. & Roff, C. 1958. The Honey Flora of South-eastern Queensland. Brisbane : Dept. Agriculture & Stock 199 pp. [Date published 31/12/1958] (plants of importance to beekeepers)
Engel, M.S. 1999. The taxonomy of recent and fossil honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae; Apis). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 8(2): 165-196 [Date published Oct. 1999] [181]
Hingston, A.B. & McQuillan, P.B. 1998. Does the recently introduced bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Apidae) threaten Australian ecosystems? Australian Journal of Ecology 23(6): 539-549 [Date published December] [539] (foraging on native plants)
Hornitzky, M.A.Z. 1987. Prevalence of virus infections of honeybees in eastern Australia. Journal of Apicultural Research 26: 181-185 [Date published 31/12/1987] (diseases)
Horskins, K. & Turner, V.B. 1999. Resource use and foraging patterns of honeybees, Apis mellifera, and native insects on flowers of Eucalyptus costata. Australian Journal of Ecology 24(3): 221-227 [221]
Knihinicki, D.K. & Halliday, R.B. 1995. The pollen mite, Melittiphis alvearius (Berlese) (Acarina: Laelapidae) newly recorded from beehives in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 34(4): 323-325 [Date published November] [323] (commensal in beehives)
Moezel, P.G. van der, Delfs, J.C., Pate, J.S., Loneragan, W.A. & Bell, D.T. 1987. Pollen selection by honeybees in shrublands of the northern sandplains of Western Australia. Journal of Apicultural Research 26: 224-232 [Date published 31/12/1987] (flower records)
Oldroyd, B.P. 1998. Controlling feral honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), populations in Australia : methodologies and costs. Australian Journal of Entomology 37(2): 97-100 [97-100]
Rhodes, J.W. (ed.) 1988. Bee Keeping in the Year 2000. Second Australian and International Beekeeping Congress. Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. July 21–26, 1988. Brisbane : Dept Primary Industries 288 pp. (papers on recent research)
Ruttner, F. 1976. Isolated populations of honeybees in Australia. 97-104 pp. (populations in Kangaroo Is. and Tasmania)
Ruttner, F. 1987. Biogeography and Taxonomy of Honeybees. Berlin : Springer 284 pp. [Date published 31/12/1987] (taxonomy)
Seeley, T.D. 1985. Honeybee Ecology: a study of adaptation in social life. Monographs in Behavior and Ecology. Princeton : Princeton University Press x 201 pp. [Date published 31/12/1985] (ecology)
Seeman, O.D. & Walter, D.E. 1995. Life history of Afrocypholaelaps africana (Evans) (Acari: Ameroseiidae), a mite inhabiting mangrove flowers and phoretic on honeybees. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 34: 45-50 [45] (phoretic mite)
Southcott, R.V. 1988. Some harmful Australian insects. Medical Journal of Australia 149: 656-662 [Date published 31/12/1988]
Vaughton, G. 1992. Effectiveness of nectarivorous birds and honeybees as pollinators of Banksia spinulosa (Proteaceae). Australian Journal of Ecology 17: 43-50 [Date published 31/12/1992] (pollination)
Velthuis, H.H.W. 1990. The biology and the economic value of the stingless bees, compared to the honeybees. Apiacta 25: 68-74 [Date published 31/12/1990] (biology)
Vithanage, V. & Ironside, D.A. 1986. The insect pollinators of Macadamia and their relative importance. Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science 52: 155-160 [Date published 31/12/1986] (pollination)
Williams, G.A. & Adam, P. 1997. The composition of the bee (Apoidea: Hymenoptera) fauna visiting flowering trees in New South Wales lowland subtropical rainforest remnants. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 118: 69-95 [90] (interaction with native bees)
Winston, M.L. 1987. The Biology of the Honey Bee. Cambridge : Harvard University Press 281 pp. [Date published 31/12/1987] (biology)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22-Oct-2015 | 18-Mar-2015 | MODIFIED | ||
| 07-Aug-2012 | 23-Jul-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
| 29-Mar-2010 | MODIFIED |