Apis dorsata x Apis mellifera hybrids?

[dronedave22]

Wondering if anyone has heard of viable hybrids of the giant honey bee Apis dorsata and the domestic honey bee Apis Mellifera naturally breeding or insemenated to produce offspring?

[CapnChkn]

Your problem is that hybrids from separate species usually don't have the ability to produce offspring.  Horses and Donkeys for example.  Second, I don't know if those two can breed at all.

[AllenF]

I would be worried about bringing Tropilaelaps clareae mites and other bugs/ germs over to here that are found on Dorsata bees

[CapnChkn]

Now that I read the question more carefully, I see that's what you were asking.  That bugs me when people do that, my excuse is it's raining. :-D

I actually wouldn't expect anything like that to happen.  The two species have wildly different habits.  Mellifera nests in cavities, Dorsata on a single comb hanging high in the air.  Even if the genes would match up well enough, the behaviors would probably not let them "get to know one another" like that.

[Michael Bush]

Their ranges overlap and I'm not aware of ANY hybrids between Mellifera and Dosata, Cerana, or Florea.