Blackish Bee I.D. Please

[nightshade]

This is one of my older Bees. ..you can see what Steve means about the hair around the thorax...my younger bees are lighter and fluffier..

 

[Hivemaker.]

This is one of my older Bees.

How many days old is that one?

 

[nightshade]

Lol...haven't a clue hive maker! I haven't got to the point of counting days yet...

.. photo was taken in august September a few weeks after I got my nuc...I know the swarm I caught were very dark although not just as dark as the OP bees and looked similar. ..the new bees subsequently are always slightly lighter and as I said more fluffy looking....

My swarm nuc bees would have been slightly smaller than the bought nuc...

 

[Jafer2]

i did check the hive around the middle of september, i could not see the queen but there was brood as you would expect to see.
Cant fault them for not being busy they are always on the go and in fair numbers.
I did not realise at the time of first posting this queary it was only pointed out after how much of a runt the bee on the right looks, they are not all quite as ill looking as that one, but they are small.
I have been feeding them, so it will be interesting to see if they make it through to next year.
Also only found out earlier that a friend who lives about a mile away as the crow flies also received a similar swarm about the same time as i did !

Intresting. Sounds like someone near by who has amm had a swarm from multiple hives or multiple swarms from one or from a wild hive which is possible considering in wales they have alot of native amm.

Its not uncommon to have multiple swarms. The fact that you have brood is a strong indication of a queen but as noted that they are also small is another indication to me that they are amm. The queen would be small and more likely would be new if its a multiple swarm from same hive. She would also have a black abdomen which as you have found not easy to spot with all the other black bees. Good catch lets hope they survive winter.

 

[Beefriendly]

The fact that you have brood is a strong indication of a queen but as noted that they are also small is another indication to me that they are amm. The queen would be small and more likely would be new if its a multiple swarm from same hive. She would also have a black abdomen which as you have found not easy to spot with all the other black bees. Good catch lets hope they survive winter.

If they are pure Amm Alleluia praise the lord another miracle. I have some genuine Amm's in my "stable" the bees are not smaller and the queens is nice and big and black.
I have also had local mongrels which were as black and similar in size. They were not Amm...

 

[Swarm]

If they are pure Amm Alleluia praise the lord another miracle...

Miracle? Why? They could easily turn out to be Amm and no miracle involved.

Suppose I am a beekeeper nearby and my stock are headed by Amm queens. Silly me, I missed a swarm.
Shudderdun finds a swarm of dark bees and wonders what they are.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Miracle? Why? They could easily turn out to be Amm and no miracle involved.

Suppose I am a beekeeper nearby and my stock are headed by Amm queens. Silly me, I missed a swarm.
Shudderdun finds a swarm of dark bees and wonders what they are.

Where’s the like button?

 

[Beefriendly]

Miracle? Why? They could easily turn out to be Amm and no miracle involved.

Yeah right on Bro...as likely as rocking horse droppings!

 

[For want of a better word]

Miracle? Why? They could easily turn out to be Amm and no miracle involved.

Suppose I am a beekeeper nearby and my stock are headed by Amm queens. Silly me, I missed a swarm.
Shudderdun finds a swarm of dark bees and wonders what they are.

Yeghes da