Apis mellifera agustica (Italian bee)

European bees breed fast in Sabah  :  http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/12/12/european-bees-breed-fast-in-sabah-yahya/

A farm trials begun in October, 2013 involving the European honey bee Apis mellifera of the subspecies agustica, (the Italian bee), have proceeded smoothly.

In the trials, 40 boxes of the bees imported from Perth, Australia were kept at the Sabah Forest Industry (SFI) Plantation Sdn Bhd nursery at Kampung Mandulong about 30 km from Sipitang.
The bees breed fast and adapt easily to the local weather and conditions, and the project is the first in Sabah to revive the honey bee industry which went into decline after 2009.

Sabah’s honey production declined to 1.2 metric tones last year from 11 metric tones in 2009.

Apis mellifera agustica (Italian bee) can produce 20-35 kg of honey. This species of bees are bigger, more docile and less likely to leave the nest. They can also fly further, a distance of five to nine km, to search for nectar, while a colony can have 30,000 to 50,000 bees.

Apis cerana bees produce 3-9 Kg of honey. A colony is just 20,000 to 35,000 bees.

Kampung Mandulong project site was chosen for its vicinity to nectar-producing Acacia mangiu and eucalyptus trees.
 

Found in southern and southeastern Asia, including China, Pakistan, India, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
 

Date Photo : 2016-01-08 FRI 11:59
Location : Jalan Apas, Tawau

Widely distributed in tropical Southeast Asia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and China.

Size is bigger than the common honeybee, and longer in overall shape. Color are various shades of brown and orange or yellow. Look far brighter and more contrasting in color than the common honeybee.

Date Photo : 2016-01-07 THU 9:12
Location : Tawau state library