This is a summary of investigations made since 1975. A. cerana sinensis is mainly distributed in the eastern, central and southern parts of the country. Morphological variation is significant between populations at different latitudes with different climatic conditions. The bees on Hainan Island, Guangdong Province, and in Maerkang, Sichuan province are two recognisable variants. Morphological variation between populations at different altitudes also exists. in the southern tropical and subtropical regions swarms issue at any time of year, whereas in the northern subtropical and temperate regions swarms issue between spring and summer, and also in autumn if conditions are favourable. In the temperate zones swarms occur only in late spring and early summer.