Asian Honey Bee

Description:

Hymenoptera; Apidae; Apis cerana Fabricius, 1793. I had a previous spotting of this species - https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/37... but the bees shown there were building a hive and they all looked very clean and tidy. As you can see, when these bees are out collecting nectar, the head, the thorax and the underside of the abdomen get a good dusting of pollen which makes them look rather scrappy. However, in view of the importance of pollination, I prefer the "scrappy" look.

Habitat:

These bees were spotted visiting unidentified flowers growing along the road, leading into a group of rice fields. These fields were not planted with rice this season to allow the soil to rest. Of course, in the tropical climate of the Philippines, fields left unplanted soon get taken over by a myriad of wild grasses. Since there is no traffic in and out of these fields this year, the unpaved road is also taken over by "weeds". The bees love it.