Melittology (from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, ''melitta'', "bee"; and ''

-logia ''-logy'' is a suffix in the English language, used with words originally adapted from Ancient Greek ending in ('). The earliest English examples were anglicizations of the French '' -logie'', which was in turn inherited from the Latin '' -logi ...

'') is a branch of

entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

concerning the scientific study of bees. It may also be called apicology. Melittology covers the species found in the

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

Anthophila Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfami ...

within the superfamily

Apoidea The superfamily (zoology), superfamily Apoidea is a major group within the Hymenoptera, which includes two traditionally recognized lineages, the "sphecidae, sphecoid" wasps, and the bees. Molecular phylogeny demonstrates that the bees arose from ...

, comprising more than 20,000 species, including

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...

s and

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current co ...

Subdivisions

* Apiology – (from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, "bee"; and

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

, ''

'') is the scientific study of

s. Honey bees are often chosen as a study group to answer questions on the evolution of social systems. :* Apidology is a variant spelling of ''apiology'' used outside of the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...

, primarily in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

; it is sometimes used interchangeably with ''melittology''.

Melittological societies

Melittologists and apiologists are served by a number of

scientific societies A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership may ...

, both national and international in scope. Their main role is to encourage the study of bees and apicultural research. * ''

International Bee Research Association The International Bee Research Association is a charity based in the United Kingdom which exists to promote the value of bees and provide information on bee science and beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, ...

'' * ''

National Bee Association of New Zealand National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

'' * ''

British Beekeepers Association The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) is a Charitable organization, charitable organisation registered in Charitable organisation (England), England and Wales that was founded in 1874. It is made up of 75 associations in England & Wales plu ...

'' * ''

German Beekeepers Association The German Beekeepers Association, "Deutscher Imkerbund", (DIB) is the umbrella organization of German beekeepers based in Wachtberg, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It ...

'' * ''

Federation of Irish Beekeepers' Associations Beekeeping has been practised in Ireland for close to 1,500 years since bees were imported. It has seen a surge in popularity in modern times, with the membership of beekeeping associations exceeding 4,500. The median average number of hives p ...

Melittological journals

*
Apidologie
' *
American Bee Journal
' * ''Journal of Apicultural Research'' * ''Journal of Melittology''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melittology Bees Subfields of entomology * Sociobiology

Subdivisions

Melittological societies

Melittological journals

See also

References