It has been stated many times that, of theApisspecies, onlymelliferaandceranacan be kept in hives, and therefore“domesticated”for honey production. In tropical Asia, attempts have been made for a number of years to“domesticate”Apis dorsatain this way, since it is a much more productive species than the indigenous hive beeApis cerana.Unsuccessful attempts to induceApis dorsatato remain in a“hive”or apiary include: mounting the single comb that houses the colony inside a large wire-screen cage fitted with flight holes; putting the comb in a hive made of glass or other transparent material; erecting an artificial“tree”with horizontal side branches consisting of a wooden bar baited with beeswax.The article presented here describes an open type of hive in whichApis dorsatacolonies have remained for three months. To bee-keepers accustomed toApis melliferathis may not seem a great achievement, but it is in fact quite remarkable, and may provide a basis for the development of a system of beekeeping management with this productive species, in countries of tropical Asia which at present have no effective beekeeping industry.