Apiacta 3, 1970

STUDIES ON INDIAN HONEY*

R.P. PHADKE - INDIA

There are four species of honey bees in India: Apis indica, Apis dorsata, Apis florae and Trigona sp.
Among these, only the first one, Apis indica can be domesticated and hived in apiaries. Its honey is therefore
called apiary honey. The author has already reported the data on physico-chemical characterization of
unifloral and multifloral apiary honeys from different parts of India (PHADKE, 1967 a.b). In these papers,
earlier reported work has already been reviewed. It is very curious to note that very little or no work has been
done on physico-chemical characterization of honeys produced by other species of Indian honey bees.
There is just a solitary reference by PERTI and PANDEY (1967) presenting data on specific gravity and
moisture content of Apis dorsata honey. In view of this position the author has taken up honeys from other
Indian bees for critical examination. The data collected so far has been presented in this paper.
Individual colonies of Apis florae and Trigona bees just yield a few hundred grams of honey which is
usually consumed by the captures and hardly enters into general market. In the case of Apis dorsata,
however, an individual colony may yield as much as 25 to 30 kg of honey. No reliable statistics is available
on total production of honey from Apis indica and Apis dorsata separately. However, by rough estimate, over
75% of the total annual honey production in India is derived or may be derived from Apis dorsata, popularly
known as Rock bee honey. Therefore, though the rock bee cannot be domesticated, its contribution to honey
production is very important and it is necessary to have precise data on its physic-chemical constants. Brief
description of the three wild bee species are given below.
Apis dorsata is known as the Giant bee as it is the biggest in size among all the species of honey
bees. They are also called Rock bees because of their habit of building their huge combs under overhanging
rocks in the forests. These bees are very ferocious and all attempts of domesticating them have so far failed.
Each colony builds a single comb, roughly semicircular in shape, about 4 cms. In thickness and 1 to
1.5 metres in diameter. The huge combs are exclusively in the open, attached to horizontal branches of tall
trees or overhanging rock profiles. Occasionally these bees build their combs on tall buildings in cities. The
bee hunters drive off bees from their combs at the end of honey flow season, just before the monsoon and
the combs are squeezed to get the honey. On an average, a single comb of Apis dorsata yields about 25 kg.
of bees-wax per annum (VENKATA RAU, 1946; MOTTOO, 1947; and THAKAR and TONAPI, 1961).
Apis florae: These are the smallest among the honey bees of Apis genus, and build a small comb,
about 20x15 cm in size. Their combs can be seen in the bushes around houses in cities. Each colony yields
only 100 to 200 gr. Of honey yearly and hence they are not of any economic importance (CHATGE, 1949;
THAKAR and TONAPI, 1962)
Trigona sp: These are distinct from the Apis species. Several kinds of sting less Trigona bees occur
in India, South-East Asia, Africa and South America (BHUTANI, 1947 and NIXON, 1959) They build small
irregular combs in small crevices inside tree trunks, rocks, house roofs, etc. and one can hardly obtain about
100 gr. of honey from one colony, annually.
The naturally occurring combs of the above wild bee species vary widely in size depending on the
availability of forage and space. Hence, honey from their combs cannot be mechanically extracted as in the
apiary combs, and the combs have to be squeezed to obtain their honey. These honeys therefore usually
contain large amounts of pollen and transparent like the apiary honeys.
Materials and Methods: Twenty genuine samples of honey of Apis dorsata and five samples of both
Apis florae and Trigona sp. Were collected from Mahabaleshwar and Poona (Maharashtra),Indore (Madhya
Pradesh), Castle Rock and Coorg (Mysore State) as mentioned below.
Collections were made under the direct supervision of the staff of the beekeeping Field Observation
Stations. The honey portions of the natural combs of the bee colonies were separated and their honey
squeezed through clean muslin cloth. Even with this procedure, small pockets of cells containing pollen could
not be avoided. Such honey samples sent in to the laboratory were then passed through a 120 mesh wire
screen and stored in colored bottles in a cool place
The methods of analysis were the same as described in the above mentioned article (PHADKE,
1967 a)
Results and Discussion The analytical data of the three wild honeys are given in table 1. The
calculated average values and also the maximum and minimum values are given. Similar values for apiary
honey from Apis indica (PHADKE, 1967 b) are also included for comparison.

_________________________
Proximate composition and physico-chemical characterization of honey from the wild honey bees Apis dorsata, Apis
florae and Trigona (republished from Indian Bee Journal No. 1/1968)

Apiacta 3, 1970

All the wild honeys are of yellow or light amber color, while the apiary honeys possess a wider range
of colors from light yellow to brownish black. This difference may be due to the fact that the wild honeys are
collected from nectarines of a variety of floral sources flowering during the honey flow season and are
extracted only once a year. On the other hand, the apiary honeys are extracted several times during the flow
season and each time they may be only from one or a few floral sources flowering at the same time.

Species

Nr. of samples
20

A. dorsata

Location
(1) Poona Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra State)
(2) Castle Rock and Mercara (Mysore State)
(3) Indore (Madhya Pradesh)
(4) Kodai Hills (Madras State)

A. florea

(1) Castle Rock (Mysore State)

(2) Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

Trigoga

(1) Castle Rock (Mysore State)

(2) Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

Acidity, ash and proteins are all higher in the wild honeys. This may be due to the method of
squeezing the honey combs for obtaining these honeys. Such squeezed honeys contain more pollen and
extraneous matter which add to the protein and ash content of the honeys.
Except for the slightly higher ash and protein contents, the Apis dorsata honey is very similar to the
Apis indica honey. But Apis florae and Trigona honeys differ from the other two honeys in some respects.
They show positive polarization, high L/D ratio and high dextrin contents. The high L/D ratio is due to the low
dextrose content in these honeys. The dextrin contents of these two honeys are 4 to 5 times that of the other
honeys which may be the reason for their positive polarization. The Apis florae and Trigona honeys are also
peculiar in not granulating even after 2 to 3 years inspite of their high total dissolved solids 83% as
compared to 78% in Apis indica and Apis dorsata honeys. This leads to the doubt that Apis florae and
Trigona bees might have collected honey dew which naturally has a very high content of dextrin. But in
microscopic analysis, no sign of honey dew honey, such as presence of algal, fungal spores, filaments, etc.
could be seen. However, the microscopic analysis revealed that the pollen in these honeys were from quite
different floral sources than the pollen in Apis dorsata and Apis indica honeys, although the samples were
collected on the same day and in the same locality. The high dextrin content may therefore be due to the
selective foraging of these bees.

Table 1
ANALYSIS OF THE WILD HONEYS OF INDIA

Color
(1/4 Cell Lovibond Tintometer)
Specific gravity (at 27C)
Direct polarization
Moisture%
Total dissolved solid%
Non reducing sugars%
Levulose% (L)
Dextrose% (D)
Ratio L/D
Dextrins%
Acidity% (as formic acid)
Ash%
Proteins%
Undetermined%
Granulation

A. dorsata
(20 samples)
Y 14.8 (4.2 20.1)
R 4.0 (0.4 11.2)
1.387 (1.373 1.401)
- 221 (- 112- 36)
20.89 (18.94 24.15)
75.22 (73.25 77.50)
3.20 (0.21 6.13)
37.43 (34.55 39.89)
32.13 (29.82 33.77)
1.167 (1.023 1.267)
1.569 (1.018 2.174)
0.251 (0.113 0.343)
0.388 (0.185 0.517)
1.070 (0.857 1.318)
2.141 (1.596 2.592)
Usually in 1 to 1 years

A. florea
(5 samples)
17.5 (8.3 26.3)
3.1 (2.0 4.0)
1.445 (1.432 1.455)
+ 118 (- 56 - + 66)
16.5 (16.0 17.50)
83.5 (82.0 84.0)
1.83 (0.25 4.15)
38.94 (36.85 41.25)
32.34 (28.15 35.56)
1.209 (1.087 1.309)
8.66 (6.00 13.62)
0.268 (0.231 0.327)
0.728 (0.678 1.04)
1.138 (0.781 1.451)
3.187 (2.513 3.781)
Nil even after 2 years

Trigona
(5 samples)
15.1 (13.3 18.4)
6.1 (2.5 11.0)
1.390 (1.383 1.3950
+ 624 (- 218 -+ 1130)
24.05 (22.75 25.25)
75.50 (75.00 76.50)
0.33 (0.0 0.87)
32.34 (27.45 34.87)
20.05 (13.73 22.05)
1.58 (1.38 2.00)
5.89 (5.1 7.0)
0.228 (0.181 0.318)
0.518 (0.48 0.54)
0.781 (0.587 1.138)
3.581 (2.538 3.814)
Nil even after 2 years

A. indica*
(80 samples)
13.93 (2.1 32.5)
4.73 (0.3 20.8)
1.399
- 220
20.89
77.57
3.37
36.48
33.39
1.097
1.966
0.188
0.187
0.556
2.184
Usually in 1 to 1 years

Figures in brackets represent minimum and maximum values.

* PHADKE, 1967 a

Pollen analysis of the honeys from the three wild species showed that Apis dorsata honeys had
more or less the same type of pollen spectra as to Apis indica honeys (PHADKE, 1967 b). Syzygium cumini
was the most common, followed by Terminalia sp., Lagerstroemia sp. and Schefflera sp. As regards Apis

Apiacta 3, 1970

florae and Trigona honeys some peculiarities were noticed. Pollen of Compositae family of plants were in
abundance in these honeys, while they were rarely found in Apis indica and Apis dorsata honeys even when
collected during the same period and in the same locality. Probably, only the Apis florae and Trigona bees
with their thin proboscis can forage on the nectarines of these small flowers. Nectars of flowers of Composite
could also be responsible for the composition and peculiar physical properties of Apis florae and Trigona
honeys. Further study of the foraging behaviour of these bees with relation to the chemical composition and
physical properties of their honeys would be interesting.

_______________________________
Acknowledgements: The author acknowledges his indebtedness to Dr. G.B. DEODIKAR, Director,
Maharashtra Association for the Cultivation of Science Research Institute, Poona 4 and to shri C.V.
THAKAR, Dy. Director, Central Bee Research Institute, Poona 4, for affording facilities, to shri M.C.
SURYANARAYANA for his valuable help in microscopic analysis of honey samples and to Dr. N.
NARAYANA, Hon. Professor of Biochemistry, M.A.C.S. Research Institute, Poona 4, under whose guidance
the above investigations were carried out.

REFERENCES

BHUTANI, K., 1947 Bees. Indian Bee J. 9:104

GHATGE, A. 1949 Some research work on A. florae. Indian Bee J. 11:5 6
MOTTOO, R. N., 1947 Beekeeping. Indian Bee J. 9: 18 21
NIXON, G. 1956 The World of Bees. Arrow Books Ltd. London
PERTI, O. N. et PRABHAKAR PANDEY, 1967 Study of some physico-chemical constants of Apis dorsatahoney. Part II. Specific
Gravity. Indian Bee J. 29: 1 - 3
PHADKE, R.P. 1967 b. Studies on Indian Honey. 2, Proximate composition and physico-chemical characteristics of unifloral honeys of
Mahabaleshwar. Indian Bee J. 29: 33 40
THAKAR, C. V. et K. V. TONAPI, 1961. Nesting behaviour of Indian honey bees. 1. Differentiation of worker, queen and drone cells in
the combs of Apis dorsata,Bee World, 42: 61 62
THAKAR, C. V. et K. V. TONAPI, 1962. Nesting behaviour of Indian honey bees. II. Nesting habits and comb cell differentiation in Apis
florae F. Indian Bee J. 24: 27 31
VENKATA RAU. P. N. 1964 My final report of the observations made on the Apis dorsata hive built in the Ramarkrishna Mission
Students Home in Mylapore Madras. Indian Bee J. 8: 160 - 163