As is the case for many other animals there are different races also with individual kinds of the kind honey bees (Apis). Some of it "genuine" races are, as are original in the course of thousands of years by evolution, i.e. developed for adjustment to geographical and climatic conditions.

Note: In the following text of this article races of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) are only treated. These are in the beekeeping of substantial importance, operated world-wide.

Naturally developed races were worked on and by the beekeepers. A goal is to be improved it certain characteristics. It concerns particularly the increase of the yield from honey and breeding of a more peaceful and swarm-slow-acting bee. It is then spoken of breed lines or line breed. In order to receive thereby the intended hereditary material, and/or to stabilize, particularly in the past so-called pure breed areas with voucher places were furnished. In the last decades the possibility of the artificial, instrumental insemination of bee queens was added, who the possibilities of the breed substantially improved and simplified.

Large also crossings of the individual races were made. This found partly inadvertently instead of Rassen.Das different by the Nebeneinanderhalten of bee colonies most well-known and most successful example of one over decades is enough, very complex crossing breed is the Buckfast bee, which was bred by brother Adam. The most spectacular result of a "inadvertent Auswilderung" and thus crossing from races is the Afrikanisierte honey bee took place. An interesting breeding from recent time is the Elgonbiene.

The races of the western honey bee naturally developed

The races of the western honey bee can be divided into four groups (after Ruttner):

The dark honey bees from north and Western Europe

• the dark European bee (Apis mellifera mellifera Linnaeus, 1758), mentioned by the beekeepers also simply Nigra - it is the only domestic bee of Central Europe and the evolutionary stop of the North African group of races.
• the Iberi bee (Apis mellifera iberica Goetze, 1964), also Spanish bee mentioned
• the Tellbiene (Apis mellifera intermissa v.Buttel Reepen, 1906)
• the reef bee (Apis mellifera major Ruttner, 1975)
• the Saharabiene (Apis mellifera sahariensis Baldensberger, 1922)

The Carnica group

• the bee (Apis mellifera carnica polling man, 1879), also Krainer bee and mentioned by most beekeepers also simply Carnica
• the Italian bee (Apis mellifera ligustica M.M.Spinola, 1806), also Italian bee and mentioned by the beekeepers also simply Ligustica - it is world-wide the honey bee most frequently in the beekeeping held, e.g. in North America.
• the Macedonian bee (Apis mellifera macedonica Ruttner, 1988)
• the southGreek bee (Apis mellifera cecopria gravel weather, 1860)
• the Sicilian bee (Apis mellifera sicula Montagano, 1911)

The bees of the front Orients

• the Caucasian bee (Apis mellifera caucasica Gorbachew, 1916)
• the Armenian bee (Apis mellifera armenica Skorikov, 1929)
• the Persian bee (Apis mellifera meda Skorikov, 1929)
• the Anatoli bee (Apis mellifera anatolica Maa, 1953)
• the Syrian bee (Apis mellifera syriaca v.Buttel Reepen, 1906)
• the Zypri bee (Apis mellifera cypria polling man, 1879)
• the Kreti bee (Apis mellifera adami Ruttner, 1975)

The bees of the tropical Africa

• the East Africa niche high land bee (Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier, 1836)
• the East Africa niche mountain bee (Apis mellifera monticola Smith, 1849)
• the cape bee (Apis mellifera capensis Escholz, 1821)
• the Egyptian bee (Apis mellifera lamarckii Cockerell, 1906)
• the Arab bee (Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner, 1975)
• the East Africa niche coastal bee (Apis mellifera litorea Smith, 1961)
• the westAfrican bee (Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille, 1804)
• the Madagascar bee (Apis mellifera unicolor Latreille, 1804)

By crossing developed races of the western honey bee

• the Buckfast bee - breed form from different races of the Mediterranean area by brother Adam
• the Afrikanisierte honey bee - spectacular inadvertent crossing of European races held in South America and the East Africa niches high land bee, also as a so-called killer bee admits
• the Elgonbiene - in Sweden breed form from the East Africa niches mountain bee and the Buckfast bee, developed

Literature

• Friedrich Ruttner: Natural history of the honey bees. Franckh cosmos publishing house, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-440-09125-2

Articles in category "Bee race"

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