The Sabah Society

Sabah Society – Sandakan Talk at Sandakan DOK Hospital – 20 February, 2009

Stephen Petersen

The speaker described the role of honeybees in pollinating agricultural crops and also in the natural environment. There are 9 species of honeybees in the world and 8 are indigenous to Asia – Borneo is home to 5 species, namely Apis dorsata, A. cerana, A. andreniformis, A. koschevnikovi and A. nuluensis.

Honeybees are social insects and within a colony, the queen bee reigns over thousands of female worker bees and a smaller number of male drone bees.

Since time immemorial, honey hunting from the giant wild honeybee, Apis dorsata has been associated with many native groups. The majestic mengaris tree (Koompasia excelsa) is often the favourite for the wild honeybees to construct their honeycombed nests, hence, the name ‘bee tree’.

Continue reading “Honeybees and the Environment” by Stephen Petersen