Cubital index is the ratio of two of the wing vein segments of honeybees. The cubital index is used in morphology

Morphology (biology)

In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....

, the study of form and structure, one way to differentiate species and sub species of living organisms. The pattern of the veins of the fore wings is specific for each breed of bees. The cubital index is consistent for a given race of bee. It can be used to distinguish between similar populations of honeybees and to determine degrees of hybridization.

Procedure

To obtain reliable average results, at least 100 bee fore wings have to be analyzed. Measurements are taken under a dissecting microscope

Microscope

A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...

with a magnification of 10x to 20x.