The honey bee is a social insect, which plays a vital role in the pollination of cereals, fruits and vegetables. 80% of total pollination is done by honey bees and 20% is done by other pollinators. According to an estimate if there are no honey bees humans cannot live more than four years.
Normally honey bees have many species, out of these four major species are common in Pakistan which is named as
- Apis Dorsata (Dumna/Bari Makhi) These are large and very aggressive by nature. And are wild, we cannot domesticate this species
- Apis Mellifera (European bee). These are medium in size. These have good foraging capacity and their ability to make honey is greater than all other species. These are domesticated in wooden boxes which are called beehives. This specie cannot live in an open environment.
- Apis Cerena (Pahari Makhi) The unique ability of this specie is that they can live both in an open environment as well as in beehives. The honey produced by these bees is unique in taste and density. These are commonly found in hilly areas of Pakistan.
- Apis Florea (Choti Makhi). Very gentle by nature. But due to excessive use of pesticides this specie is in danger. These cannot be domesticated and are wild like Apis dorsata.