Spatial Distribution and Nesting Biology of Colonies of the African Honey Bee Apis mellifera scutellata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Botswana, Africa

The spatial distribution and nesting biology were examined for naturally occurring colonies of the African honey bee race Apis mellifera scutellata (Lepeletier) in the Okavango River Delta, Botswana. Colonies had a density of 4.2/km2 but exhibited considerable spatial clumping. Nest aggregations did not appear to result from short swarm dispersal distances, clumped resources or benefits derived from increased nest defense. Nests occurred predominantly in wooden cavities, particularly in abandoned woodpecker nests in dead palm trees. Nest cavities had a volume of ≍33 liters and south-facing, top-located entrances. Colonies constructed ≍6,000 cm2 of comb, devoted the majority of comb area to worker brood production, stored relatively little food, and allocated ≍8% of comb area to drone rearing. A comparison of the A. m. scutellata colonies in the Okavango with neotropical African colonies throughout Central and South America revealed that the neotropical colonies were more likely to construct exposed comb nests and less likely to occupy wooden cavities. However, no differences were found between the Okavango and neotropical colonies in nest density, cavity volume, total comb area, or the proportions of comb devoted to worker brood production, food storage or drone rearing. Thus, the aspects of nesting biology examined appear to have remained largely unchanged from the ancestral African condition during the colonization of Central and South America.