Red Dwarf Honey Bee Apis florea

Photo of Red Dwarf Honey Bee (Apis florea)

(c) Navapol Komanasin, some rights reserved (CC BY)

OrderAnts, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Hymenoptera)
FamilyHoney Bees, Bumble Bees, and Allies (Apidae)
GenusHoney Bees (Apis)

These tiny wild honey bees make a distinctive piping noise when alarmed — one of their most unusual defensive tricks. Unlike domesticated cousins, they build open, exposed nests rather than hiding in cavities, which makes them vulnerable to predators. Despite their small size and limited colony numbers, they're crucial pollinators across southern Asia and are occasionally raided by humans for wild honey.

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