ENVIRONMENT

I am often asked what type of bees we are dealing with.  For whatever reason, I have been asked that a dozen times in the last month or so.

Here is my very unscientific answer.   

Apis Mellifera – the western honey bee

There are 29, 31 or maybe 33 subspecies of honey bees, depending on what scientific article one is reading.  Several of these subspecies are considered African, A few more are considered Middle Eastern or Asian, and a many of them are classified as European.

I believe that 90 percent + of the honey bees we deal with in our Tillamook Beekeepers Association are Apis Mellifera Ligustica or Italian. For sure, 720 NUCs have been purchased from Foot Hills Honey/Joe Hansen in the past 6 years that I have personally overseen, and all of them were Italian bees.  Think of the math.  If a NUC has between 8,000 to 10,000 bees, then we have introduced more than 6 million Italian bees in the Tillamook region in the past 6 years.  

We do have experience with a couple of other species, however. 

The Apis Mellifera Carnica or Carniolan hales from a region of Slovenia called Carniola.  Sometime referred to as Russian honey bees.   These bees are very dark in color, almost black.  They are dominant in the Balkans, Austria, Germany and much of western Poland.  It is popular even here and is extremely gentle and even docile.  It has a low swarming tendency and very high hygienic behavior. 

The Apis Mellifera Caucasia or Caucasian honey bee, comes to us from Caucasus near the Turkish Black Sea coast.  These girls have the unique characteristic of a long probosicis.  They also are more suited for extreme cold climate.

Saskatraz honey bees are a strain developed in Saskatchewan, Canada, from Russian bees to produce greater yields of honey. 

Regardless of the species of honey bees you might have purchased in the past, eventually, given the cross breeding that happens with or without your consent, the Carniolan, Caucasian, and Saskatraz virgin queens produced by your hives, will more than likely mate with Italian bees and voila, 90% + of your bees will likely be genetically Italian, with a bit of Caucasian, Carniloan, and Saskatraz DNA mixed in.