The Honeybee

Did you know?

“There are about seven species of honeybee in the world and just over 40 subspecies, all grouped within the genus Apis.  Today, however, whenever the term honeybee is used, we usually mean the domesticated European or Western honeybee, Apis Mellifera.  Honeybees as a group probably originated in Southern Asia, but various races became well-established in areas such as Africa and Europe, both in the wild as well as in domestic hives.  Fossils of honeybees first appear in deposits from the Eocene-Oligocene period, about 35 million years ago.  They have been long prized by humans from their honey-producing properties, and were kept at least as far back as the time of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs several thousand years ago.”  (Hall p.84-86, 2010)

Did you know?

“Dwarf honeybees, such as Apis Florea and Apis Andrenformis, are little bees which build small, usually quite conspicuous nests, often round or elongated in shape, among tree and shrub foliage, the nests measuring about 8-in (20-cm) across.  The bees have only a tiny stinging apparatus on their abdomens.  Dwarf bees are found in southern and South-East Asia in places such as Thailand, while giant honeybees, such as Apis Dorsata, are common in the same sorts of regions of the world as dwarf bees.  They build conspicuous nests that may be 3ft (1m) or more in diameter, usually high up in the branches of trees, on cliff sides or even on buildings.  Unlike dwarf honeybees, which can often be handled with minimal risk of being seriously stung, giant honeybees are much more formidable defenders of their nests when confronting raiders (including human beings).”  (Hall p.86-87, 2010)

Did you know?

“Although, when domesticated, Apis Mellifera are kept in hives, they build nests in cavities when in the wild.  There are a number of different Apis Mellifera subspecies around the world, especially in Europe, The Middle East and Africa.”  (Hall p.87, 2010)

Did you know?

“Italian Bee (Apis Mellifera Ligustica).

This is the most common variety of honeybee found especially in southern Europe and in North and South America.  The worker has a yellow body with brown or blackish stripes.  Drones are a gold colour without stripes.  The queen can easily be identified thanks to her large, golden-orange abdomen.  The Italian bee also has a long tongue, meaning it can probe into deeper flowers than shorter-tongued varieties.  Coming originally from the warm climate of the Italian peninsula, the bee favours fine weather and can be a prolific breeder.  It is able to find flowers growing for much of the year, so there is ample opportunity to store stocks of nectar and pollen for the winter.  In cooler climates, however, when natural food becomes scarce during winter, the bee still needs plenty of food – more so than other types of bees in temperate regions – since it maintains large hive populations.  The Italian bee is calm and gentle on the comb and keeps its hive clean, making it easy to maintain and manage.  As long as it has plenty of space it is not readily given to swarming.  This is a prodigious producer of honey given the right conditions.”  (Hall p.87-89, 2010)

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“Carniolan Bee (Apis Mellifera Carnica)

This bee originated in the Carniola alpine region of Slovenia.  Due to its Balkan origins, it is hardy and accustomed to quite long winters.  Also in winter the hive population falls significantly before it builds up again in the following season (this is due to a shortage of natural food in winter in its original homeland).  At this time, therefore, it can be maintained on lower food levels than, for example, the Italian Bee.  But it can also react quickly once the weather warms up, rapidly increasing the hive population and swarming.  The Carniolan worker bee is a calm and gentle type, and quite dark in colour – usually grey and black with grey abdominal stripes.  Its long tongue allows it to feed on flowers such as red clover.  It also swarms readily.  Drones have black abdomens.  Queens are all black in colour.  Not only is the Carniolan tolerant of the needs of hive management, but it also produces little propolis.”  (Hall p.89-91, 2010)

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“Caucasian Bee (Apis Mellifera Caucasia)

Originally from the Caucasus Mountains of Eurasia, this variety is usually regarded as very gentle and industrious, and quiet on the comb when being examined.  It has been reported, however, that when these bees are crossed with other strains, some of the resulting colonies have proven problematic.  Caucasian bees react to winter conditions by reducing their hive populations and feeding sparingly on their stored food reserves.  The bees have very long tongues.  Workers are dark grey with lighter stripes on the abdomen.  Drones and Queens are dark in colour.”  (Hall p.92, 2010)

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“Dark European Bee (Apis Mellifera Mellifera)

Also called German honeybee, this old variant is the ‘type specimen’ used in the classification by the eminent taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus in 1758.  It is a small, dark-coloured bee.

There are also other European variets, such as Apis Mellifera Iberiensis from the Iberian Peninsula, Apis Mellifera Ceropia from Greece and Apis Mellifera Ruttneri from Malta.”  (Hall p.92, 2010)

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“African Honeybee (Apis Mellifera Scutellata)

The African honeybee is smaller than any of the European bees and produces smaller cells.  It occurs around West, Central and East Africa but also hybridized in South America, Central America and the southern United States.  The African honeybee is a hard-working variety that is active early in the day and still gathering from flowers late into the evening.  It is considered to be an aggressive species that reacts quickly and defensively in the event of the colony being disturbed, tending to attach intruders en masse.  Major disturbances may cause the colony to swarm.”  (Hall p.93, 2010)

Did you know

“Cape Bee (Apis Mellifera Capensis)

This dark-colored bee originated in the coastal region of South Africa.  Workers can produce fertile eggs that develop into other female bees, although they are not able to mate with drones.  In the absence of a queen, the workers can produce the ‘queen substance’.”  (Hall p.93, 2010)

Did you know?

“There are other African variants, such as Apis Mellifera Adansonii from Nigeria, Apis Mellifera Lamarckii from Egypt and Sudan, and Apis Mellifera Jemenitica from Uganda, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

In addition, there are various subspecies of bees that come from other parts of the world, such as Asia and Middle East.  These include Apis Mellifera Meda from Iraq, Apis Mellifera Anatolica from Turkey and Iraq, Apis Mellifera Syriaca from Isreal and Apis Mellifera Pomonella from Central Asia.”  (Hall p.93, 2010)

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Dan Luong

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