Migratory behaviour and colony aggregation in Giant Honeybees

The project is scheduled to investigate two substantial behavioural phenomena in Giant Honeybees, the migration and colony aggregation.

a. colony aggregation

Colonies tend to aggregate in trees or eves of buildings, with colonies often separated by only a few inches. Reports from Apis dorsata aggregations are equivocal for separate regions of South East Asia. While trees harbouring 20 to 30 nests appear to be common in most parts of Asia, we could find single trees with up to 200 colonies in Assam, India. These aggregations of colonies are unique for insects. Many of these sites are used by bees year after year. We know of trees that have been repeatedly occupied for the last 15 or even 30 years. This leads to speculations that the same colonies return to the same nesting site after migration.

b. migration

The migrations in Apis dorsata occur seasonally and these cycling of arrival and departure of migrating Giant Honeybee colonies are well known from several regions in Asia. The nest sites are occupied for several months, after which the colonies abscond and travel to an alternative nest site, which may be 200 km distant. Swarms do not produce combs during migration.

Both behaviours have aroused great interest in contemporary literature and in spite of various observations and assumptions they are hardly understood. The aim of the project is to discover migratory pathways, record seasonal changes in colony status, and seek behavioural and ecological correlations with colony aggregation.