Drone flight times confirm the species status of Apis nigrocincta Smith, 1861 to be a species distinct from Apis cerana F, 1793, in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

The drone flights of two distinct morphs of cavity-nesting honey bees were compared in Sulawesi. Drones of the 'black' morph (Apis cerana) flew in the early afternoon and had nearly completed their flights before the main flight of drones of the 'yellow' morph. This pattern was consistent in all three study sites but there were significant differences in timing of drone flights between the sites. The differences in timing of mating flights provide the biological justification to recognize the 'yellow' morph as a distinct species, Apis nigrocincta Smith, 1861.