ABSTRACT
Indonesia harbors the greatest diversity of honeybee species. There are two subspecies of giant honeybees present: Apis dorsata dorsata, which occurs widely in the Indo-Malayan region, with a slight infiltration across Wallace’s Line in the Lesser Sunda Islands and recently invading Buru, Ambon, and the Seram Islands; and A. d. binghami, which is only found on Sulawesi and its associated smaller islands. The bees prefer to nest on trees close to water, and the two subspecies show distinct differences in the composition of nesting aggregations. Bees mostly nest on tall trees in the forest; however, colonies that nest near human settlements are recently becoming more frequent, resulting in fear from local people and in subsequent destruction of colonies. Both subspecies were successfully attracted to human-built rafters to make honey harvesting easier. Periods of stay and honey harvest of both subspecies differ. Apis dorsata serves a vital role as food for other wildlife, especially endemic protected predators and annual migrant animals. Although there is a lack of research on the role of these bees as pollinators in Indonesia, their critical importance can be inferred from their activity in various natural and agricultural ecosystems, and from information obtained beyond the border of Indonesia.
