[Objectives]  To analyze the physicochemical properties and structural characteristics of the protein encoded by the Chinese honeybee, Apis cerana cerana, odorant receptor gene AcerOR58, clarify its temporal and spatial expression characteristics and thereby lay a foundation for functional research on this gene. [Methods]  Bioinformatics software was used to predict and analyze the structural characteristics of the AcerOR58 nucleotide and encoded protein sequence. A Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree was constructed and real-time quantitative PCR used to analyze the expression profiles of AcerOR58 in in different tissues of foraging bees and in the antennae of workers of different developmental stages. [Results] The AcerOR58 open reading frame (ORF) was 1 230 bp long and encoded 409 amino acids. The molecular weight of the mature protein was 47.147 ku and the theoretical isoelectric point was 8.46. There were 6 transmembrane structures with an intracellular N-terminal and no signal peptide. There were 31 potential phosphorylation sites and an insect odor receptor family 7tm-6 superfamily conserved domain between amino acids 83-398. AcerOR58 is closely related to the corresponding AmelOR58 gene of the Western honeybee A. mellifera, with a nucleotide sequence identity of 96.67% and amino acid sequence identity of 97.31%. Real-time PCR showed that the expression level of AcerOR58 was higher in the antennae of foraging bees (15-25 days old), and that expression in the antennae was significantly higher than in other tissues (P < 0.01). [Conclusion] AcerOR58 has the typical structural characteristics of an insect odorant receptor and is highly expressed in the antennae of forager bees. These results suggest that its main function is recognizing the scent of nectar and pollen sources.