Interspecific brood introduction into Apis cerana and Apis mellifera colonies.

摘要

An attempt was made to rear brood and raise adults of interspecific species in Jiangxi, China using general colonies of Apis cerana cerana and Apis mellifera ligustica during the spring and summer 2007. One frame-sealed brood of Apis cerana cerana was introduced into the colony of Apis mellifera ligustica. The recipient colony of Apis mellifera ligustica had 2 combs containing brood, workers and a one-month-old queen. After adult emergence, the behaviour of emerged workers were observed in the test colony. Similarly, one frame-capped brood of Apis mellifera ligustica was introduced into the colony of Apis cerana cerana which had 2 combs with a new queen. Interspecific introduction was very successful in both cases. In the colony of Apis mellifera ligustica, workers of Apis cerana cerana and Apis mellifera ligustica could feed and forage together normally, and the workers of Apis cerana cerana would feed the queen of Apis mellifera ligustica. The same took place in the colony of Apis cerana cerana as well. When the capped brood of Apis cerana cerana was introduced into the colony of Apis mellifera ligustica, adults of the former successfully emerged. It is probable that the cuticular odour of Apis cerana cerana hatched in the Apis mellifera ligustica colony was the same as that of the latter colony or was similar to the workers of the latter. As a result, the workers of the recipient colony could not discriminate them. The acceptance behaviour could help increase in the overall efficiency of the recipient colony.