Apis dorsata is characterized by the construction of large, single-comb nests suspended from arboreal branches and man-made structures. Studies on nest shapes, comb and cell dimensions of 718 nests of A. dorsata were conducted across Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Bengaluru Rural districts of Karnataka, India. Results indicate that semicircular nests predominated (40.80%), primarily on banyan (15.59%) and peepal trees (11.83%), whereas curved U-shaped nests (23.11%) were common on rock cliffs (14.48%) and buildings (8.63%). Irregular nests (12.95%) were found on Terminalia trees (5.98%), horizontally semicircular nests (20.33%) on banyan (3.20%) and eucalyptus trees (4.73%) and vertically semi-circular nests (13.37 %) on rock cliffs (7.10%). Cell measurements confirmed that the worker brood cells were smaller than honey cells, and drone cells. The nest shape distribution was significantly different (χ² = 241.7, df = 4, p < 0.001), between the nesting structures (χ² = 410.3, df = 18, p < 0.001). ANOVA confirmed significant differences in comb area allocation between brood, honey, and pollen area (p < 0.01). The observations confirmed significant associations between nesting structures and nest shapes (χ² test, p < 0.05). These findings provide insights into the ecological plasticity and adaptive strategies of A. dorsata in plains of south east Karnataka, India.

Apis dorsata, comb area, nest shapes, brood area, pollen area, honey area

The findings of the study deepen understanding the conservation of natural nesting substrates and comb design of A. dorsata to ensure the persistence of ecologically and economically A. dorsata colonies.

Nagaraja Y. and Nagaraja N. (2025). Studies on Nest Shapes and Comb Architecture of Apis dorsata Fab. in Southeast Karnataka, India. Biological Forum, 17(9): 77-82.