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Bees

Africanized honeybee
Apis mellifera scutellata (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Status
Exotic (absent from Australia) Pest Species

Dorsal female view Zoomify

Caption: South Africa.

Source: Simon Hinkley & Ken Walker Museum Victoria

Apis mellifera capensis and Apis mellifera scutellata are very difficult to separate on morphological grounds – the best method seems to be to identify the geographical location of the source of the population. Apis mellifera capensis is generally confined to the south west corner of South Africa and along the southern coast to Port Elizabeth; Apis mellifera scutellata can be found throughout most of the remaining areas of South Africa (See Figure 5 in Hepburn and Radloff in Weblinks)

There appears to be three subspecies of Apis mellifera in South Africa - A. m. capensis, A. m. scutellata and an unnamed “mountain form” (Hepburn & Radloff 2002).

Workers of A. m. capensis have on average more than 5 ovarioles/ovaries and a spermathecal diameter of 0.30mm; the spermathecas of workers of other species of Apis are vestigial.

Apis mellifera capensis workers can invade the nests of African bee A. m. scutellata, parasitise these colonies, causing colony death.

PaDIL Links:
Honey bee tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi )
Asiatic honeybee (Apis cerana)
Giant honeybee (Apis dorsata)
Dwarf honey bee (Apis florea)
Common Honeybee (Apis mellifera)
Cape honeybee (Apis mellifera capensis)
Varroa Mite (Varroa destructor)
Varroa Mite (Varroa jacobsoni)

Specimen contact point: Museum Victoria

Citation: Walker, K. (2007) Africanized honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) Pest and Diseases Image Library. Updated on 12/28/2007 7:45:12 AM. Available online: http://www.padil.gov.au

Created Date: 1/15/2006 10:02:24 AM

Last Updated: 12/28/2007 7:45:12 AM

Diagnostic Images
Fore Wing	Head Front	Head Side	Hind Wing
Thorax Above	Thorax Side
Overview Images
Dorsal	Lateral	Posterior