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ARTICLE · MAY 2013

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Vijayakumar Karuppasamy
Kongunadu Arts and Science College
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 ISSN
International Journal of Advanced Life Sciences (IJALS)
2277 – 758X

Vijayakumar et al., IJALS, Vol.3. May - 2012. Short Communication

Effect of modern agricultural intensification on cavity nesting honey bee

(Apis cerana indica Fabricius) colonies
K.Vijayakumar*, M. Muthuraman* and K.R. Jayaraj**
*Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 641 003,
Tamil Nadu India. ** Kongu Nadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Email : [email protected]
Abstract
The present study revealed about the modern agricultural practices and
destruction of nesting sites is a significant threat of honey bee colonies. We studied
the swarm of Indian bee (A.cerana) nesting on fruit bunch of banana at Nellithurai,
Tamil Nadu, India and examine the effects of agricultural intensification on honey
bee nesting site both arboreal and terrestrial. The unsuitable environmental
condition and frequent predator attack results the bees not able to control the
temperature ecosystem. The small green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) and chestnut
headed green bee-eater bird (M. leschenaulti) were found to capture both incoming
and outgoing foragers. The avian predation resulted in reduced bee traffic, sharp
Corresponding Author
decline in worker population, exposure of upper part of comb and these leads to
K.Vijayakumar
Department of Agricultural lost the queen. Workers of a queenless honeybee colony take an effort to requeen
Entomology, the colony. Declining levels of queen and brood pheromones signal workers to
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, activate their ovaries and lay eggs that resulted in a final brood of drones before the
Coimbatore-641 003
E-mail: [email protected] colony perishes. Finally the weaver ant (Oecophylla longinoda) was found to take
Article History away the live and dead bees.
Received on 23 March, 2012;
Revised in revised form 15 April, Keywords: Apis cerana indica, Merops orientalis, Oecophylla longinoda, open
2012; Accepted 24 April, 2012 nesting, intensification and avian predation

Indian bees (Apis cerana indica F.) in general Indian bees stayed on a branch of a mango tree for a
build multiple comb nests usually in dark cavities such period of six months and later the colony was
as the hollows of the trunks of live or dead trees, successfully hived in a box hive (Lazar, 1995). In open-
underneath roofs, manmade constructions and termite nesting honey bees are exposed to environmental
mounts.The cavity provides protection of the colony stresses, such as rain, wind and temperature changes,
against predators and from extremes of heat and cold and need to defend the entire nest surface against
plus rain, wind, and dryness. The several combs are predators. When facing a enemy the bees are found to
built in parallel and a uniform distance, the bee space, retreat of to attack on the enemies and to attack
is maintained between them. Rarely A. cerana build or retreat strategies is highly dependent on nest
nests on exposed sites with reduced light intensity such structures and placements. The open nesting honey bees
as inside houses, in cupboards and cabinets and roof (A. florea and A. dorsata) have some kind of adaptation
corners. During one occasion a queen right swarm of for survive the open environment For rock bees

Int. j. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www.

Int. J. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www. ijals.com Page 87
 ISSN
International Journal of Advanced Life Sciences (IJALS)
2277 – 758X

Vijayakumar et al., IJALS, Vol.3. May - 2012. Short Communication

(A. dorsata) prefer inaccessible, but often conspicuous, honey bees. The growth of the honey bees particularly
nesting sites in high trees or cliffs and also the rock Indian bees (A cerana) was directly affected by
bees were defends its nests aggressively when management operation by famers.
disturbed. In little bee (A. florea) colonies defend
The majority of bee plants flower during March
themselves against visually hunting predators by
and August, A.cerana swarms were found during
building low, dispersed, hidden nests, and use sticky these months. Swarming is the natural instinct of honey
barriers to protect them from ants. In Indian bee bees to reproduce its colonies in all honey bee species.
(A. cerana) colonies rely upon nesting inside cavities Generally the honey bees required suitable nesting
for protection against large predators, and on direct site during swarming periods. It occurs mostly when
attacks by their relatively large workers to repel smaller the colony population is at its peak. Some of the several
enemies such as ants. These offer strong protection reasons for swarming are sudden honey flow, sudden
by restricting accessibility to the nest and at the same failure of queen to lay eggs, congestion in the colony,
time constitute a limited and valuable resource in them, want of breeding space, bad ventilation etc. Old colony
to be actively defended if in danger. Nests of open- departs and assembles nearby, typically on a tree
nesting species, A. florea and A. dorsata, are protected branch. To find a new home, scout bees from the
by a three to six layer curtain of bees over the comb. swarm cluster begin to search a large area for a suitable
A. cerana colonies lack these curtains but are protected new nest site, typically the hollow of a tree. Swarming
by their nest cavity walls. Guard bees recognize creates a vulnerable time in the life of honey bees. The
members of their own colony by a hive odour specific swarms are provisioned only with the nectar or honey
to each colony. Having the same odour, returning they carry in their stomachs. Swarm leaves its original
foragers have no difficulty in passing through the hive site and coalesces into a cluster hanging from a tree
entrance, but most foreign intruders, including worker branch. The scouts bring back to the swarm cluster
bees from other colonies with a different odour, are shared the information about new site with the other
repelled by the defending guards. Defence is an scouts by means of waggle dance and the colony
important behaviour required for the survival of the depart the temporary nesting site and settled on the
colony, since colonies contain attractive resources, such newly selected sites. Sometimes defense is non-existent
as brood and honey for various predators. Various during the swarming period, because workers in the
insect-preying birds, such as drongos and swifts, have swarm are mostly very young may be the proximate
been observed to opportunistically prey on flying reason for the absence of defensive behaviour, so they
honeybees (Thapa and Wongsiri, 2003). Ants are an do not perform defense.
almost omnipresent danger to honeybee colonies and
Generally queenright colonies are characterised
may take anything for nutrition: live and dead bees,
by an absence of worker reproduction. Occasionally a
larvae, pupae and honey (Akratanakul, 1987).
worker does activate her ovaries and lays eggs. When
Generally the cavity nesting honey bees nesting this rare event occurs, worker eggs are rapidly removed
on irrigation channels, both live and dried tree trunks by other workers in a process known as worker
and also manmade construction. Now a day the farmers policing (Ratnieks 1988; Ratnieks and Visscher 1989).
eradicate both arboreal and terrestrial nesting sites When a colony has lost its queen and unable t rear a

Int. j. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www.

Int. J. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www. ijals.com Page 88
 ISSN
International Journal of Advanced Life Sciences (IJALS)
2277 – 758X

Vijayakumar et al., IJALS, Vol.3. May - 2012. Short Communication

replacement, rendering the colony hopelessly had egg and larval life stages only. The bees were
queenless. Declining levels of queen and brood normally collected both nectar and pollen and store into
pheromones signal workers to activate their ovaries and the cells of the combs. The comb was vertically
lay eggs that will result in a final brood of drones attached to the substrate and the orientation was
before the colony perishes. perpendicular to the ground. The foragers actively
We hypothesized that modern agricultural collected nectar from banana and pollen from coconut
practices reduce the both nesting and pasturage plants palms grown in the vicinity.
of honey bees, it results declining the population Generally A.cerana guard bees recognize
of honey bee colonies. Generally A.cerana swarm members of their own colony by a colony odour
nesting on inside the cavity, the cavity provide the bees specific to each colony. Having the same odour,
for strong protection by restricting accessibility to the returning foragers have no difficulty in passing through
nest. But swarm of A. cerana build nests on exposed the hive entrance, but most foreign intruders, including
sites with reduced light intensity. The incoming and worker bees from other colonies with a different
outgoing foragers attract the bee eater birds and the odour, are repelled by the defending guards. Though
severe bird predation results the swarm lost its queen. the swarm constructed the nest on a fruit bunch of
The bees were not able to cover the entire combs banana open results attract the predators like ants,
and brood and honey attract the weaver ants and the spiders and bee-eater birds. The open nesting guard
ants were taken away the larvae, pupae and adult bees not able to recognize members it leads to invasion
bees. So the entire colony was died due to the limitation of foreign intruders and lost its queen. Declining levels
of nesting sites. of queen and brood pheromones signal workers to
The present study swarm bees select the fruit activate their ovaries and lay eggs that will result in a
bunch of the banana plant tree at a height of three final brood of drones (Plate - 1b) before the colony
meters from the ground level in a farmers holding at perishes. The worker laid eggs were seen irregular
Nellithurai (11°. 18' N/ 76°.55' E ), Tamil Nadu, India manner (Plate -1c). Workers of this queenless colony
(Plate - 1a) between August 2009 to October 2009. The take an effort to requeen the colony by raising a new
river Bhavani is the major perennial water sources used queen from a young worker brood laid by the queen.
for irrigation.The banana fields are intercropped with The present nesting site of A. cerana nesting on
coconut plantation, so the coconut plants provide both the fruit bunch stalk of banana tree is subjected to
nectar and pollen to the bees annually. The annual attack from various enemies. The open nesting and
rainfall of 830 mm and the mean maximum and heavy traffic of bees flying in and out of the nest
minimum temperature are 32.2oC and 23.2oC provided an exceptional opportunity for the bird
respectively. predation. Small green bee-eater (Merops orientalis)
The swarm bees were settled on the fruit bunch (Plate -2a) and chestnut headed green bee-eater birds
of banana and started to build comb in open. After a (M. leschenaulti) (Plate -2b) were found to capture
week later the colony was well developed and had three the both outgoing and incoming forager bees. The
parallel brood and food stores. Out of three the middle birds performed sorties from the point of perching and

Int. j. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www.

Int. J. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www. ijals.com Page 89
 ISSN
International Journal of Advanced Life Sciences (IJALS)
2277 – 758X

Vijayakumar et al., IJALS, Vol.3. May - 2012. Short Communication

Plate – 1a : Swam bees settled on Plate – 1b : Drone brood cells and Plate – 1c : worker egg laying
the fruit bunch of banana plant a queen cell on the comb

Plate – 2a : Small green bee-eater Plate – 2b : Chestnut headed bee- Plate – 2c : A group of weaver ant
bird (Merops orientais) eater bird (M. leschenaultia) (Oecophylla longinoda) taking
away the dead Indian bee

Int. j. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www.

Int. J. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www. ijals.com Page 90
 ISSN
International Journal of Advanced Life Sciences (IJALS)
2277 – 758X

Vijayakumar et al., IJALS, Vol.3. May - 2012. Short Communication

captured both incoming and outgoing foraging resources to defend and workers in the swarm are
bees. The bee-eater birds capture the bees and swish mostly very young are possible reason for failure of the
their beaks back and forth against a tree branch on colony. The present study deals the Indian bees only
which they are perching obviously to remove the sting. defend the enemies inside the cavity, when the bees in
The avian predation resulted in reduced bee traffic, open environment lack in defensive. When a colony
sharp decline in worker population, exposure of upper becomes hopelessly queenless, the worker bees try to
part of comb.Competition for larval food is intense in requeen the colony, but the environmental factors
this queenless colony due to deteriorating social decide the possibility to rear a replacement queen.
cohesion, resulting in many larvae but few workers Acknowledgement
that are able or willing to feed them.
We thank Assistant Professor Dr.A.Saravanan
The queen cells get shrunken and finally of Agricultural Research Station, Bhavanisagar for his
the entire colony was damaged by weaver ants advice in during the field study and also thank Mr.
(Oecophylla longinoda) (Plate - 2c). The weaver ant G.K.Thanavelu, and Mr.K.Udayakumar for taking
gained entry into the top of the comb and they photographs and field observation.
hold between their mandibles on the live and dead
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Corresponding Author : K.Vijayakumar, Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural

University, Coimbatore - 641 003, E-mail: [email protected].

Int. j. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www.

Int. J. Adv. Lif. Sci., Available online on at www. ijals.com Page 91