Why in News?
Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee, is recently in the news due to a significant scientific breakthrough by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), which demonstrated that these bees can survive sub-zero temperatures.
Biological Profile
- Common Name: Western honey bee or European honey bee.
- Distribution: Native to Europe, Western Asia, and Africa; introduced to every continent except Antarctica.
- Social Structure: Eusocial insects with a single queen, thousands of workers (females), and a few drones (males).
- Genome: Its genome assembly (Amel_HAv3.1) has been refined to chromosome-length scaffolds, aiding research into behavioural genetics and disease resistance.
Economic and Ecological Importance
- Primary Pollinator: Responsible for pollinating roughly 80% of global agricultural crops, including almonds, apples, and berries.
- Commercial Products: Commercially exploited for honey, wax, propolis, and royal jelly, which are used in medicines and cosmetics.
- Bioindicators: Used as environmental sensors to monitor heavy metals and pesticide pollutants across large geographic areas.
Key Challenges and Threats
- Varroa Mite: The parasite Varroa destructor remains the most significant threat, often wiping out entire colonies.
- Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD): A phenomenon where worker bees abruptly disappear, primarily affecting large commercial apiaries.
- Invasive Potential: Outside its native range, it can outcompete indigenous bees, such as Apis cerana in India, for floral resources.
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