First evidence of hygienic behaviour in the dwarf honey bee Apis florea

The hygienic behaviour of eight A. florea honey bee colonies was investigated in Thailand. Sealed brood was deep frozen or killed using entomological pins. The pins were 0.2 or 0.7 mm in diameter. The removal of killed brood by the bees was checked in intervals ranged from 24 to 60 h after it had been presented to the colonies. Almost eighty nine (89%) of the freeze-killed brood was removed by the bees within 24 h after being introduced into the combs, while 95% of the pin-killed brood was removed within 48 h after introduction. Thus, the A. florae colonies could be recognized as hygienic honey bees.