Breed of Bee

[fast_muchly]

View attachment 8894

Is this a European Bee or a british black bee or even some sort of cross between the two ( hybrid )

Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A close up would help - but they look to me to be just your bog standard Heinz 57 (nothing wrong with that)

 

[Swarm]

Nice dark bees. What is their provenance? Did you buy them as Amm/collected a swarm? It would help with guessing.

 

[Luminos]

A close up would help - but they look to me to be just your bog standard Heinz 57 (nothing wrong with that)

No - he said BEES

 

[fast_muchly]

Was sort of hoping for more native in them than European as like the idea of keeping the native bee going.

 

[fast_muchly]

If you click on the pic you get a close up

And they were bought from someone in Derbyshire but he didn't say exactly what they were.So I take it there neither European or native british dark bees but a hybrid between both.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you click on the pic you get a close up

I meant a close up of one bee! they are dark (ish) but whether native or not is another matter I still reckon they're 'local mongrels' what colour is the queen - a picture of her may tell us more

 

[Bob Bee]

View attachment 8894

Is this a European Bee or a british black bee or even some sort of cross between the two ( hybrid )

Thanks

Look like good dark bees, is this what they're like close up?

 

[Spadaman]

Is there such a sub species of Apis Mellifera that is the " British " bee?

If you search for AMM the descriptions are all about the european black bee for example:

Apis mellifera mellifera, classified by Linnaeus, 1758 - the dark bee of northern Europe also called the German honey bee - domesticated in modern times, and taken to North America in colonial times. These small, dark-colored bees are sometimes called the German black bee.

Does it really matter what the breed is as long as it has the characteristics that the beekeeper wants i.e. non swarmy, calm on the combe, good forragers, non agressive etc etc?

 

[richardbees]

Look like good dark bees, is this what they're like close up?

I'm going to print that pic and use it to scare small children

 

[REDWOOD]

I Googled pictures of AMM and come across this photo. A bit strange as I took this picture 2 years ago it was blown on to my garden path and I then emailed it to my mate so how on earth did it get here!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bee_2007-2.jpg

 

[Goran]

I cannot resemble much your dark bee from our grey bee (A.M. Carnica).. Here are few pics of our grey.. Autochthonous at my place. These are from my hives..

 

[Bob Bee]

I Googled pictures of AMM and come across this photo. A bit strange as I took this picture 2 years ago it was blown on to my garden path and I then emailed it to my mate so how on earth did it get here!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bee_2007-2.jpg

Nice picture, can I use it for a display I'm doing. Good resolution of hairyness !

 

[REDWOOD]

Yes sure you can, I have a few more if you want them, PM me your email address and I will send them to you

 

[drstitson]

is your mate the portugese photographer linked to by wikipedia?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Alvesgaspar/Wasps_&_bees

 

[For want of a better word]

I cannot resemble much your dark bee from our grey bee (A.M. Carnica).. Here are few pics of our grey.. Autochthonous at my place. These are from my hives..

I keep some A m carnica as well as quite a number of colonies of A m mellifera and have noticed that the carnica have a longer more pointed wing and distinctive grey stripes, whereas the mellifera sub species have the occasional yellow stripe and more stubby wings.
I keep them in aparies a good 15 miles apart, but obviously there is some level of introgression from ligurian hybrids into both distinct subspecies.
The bees on Rame are very black... and seem to be relatively "pure A m m "
Wing morphometry, and hair length are good indicators of the sub species..and seems to be the best markers availiable as yet there is little data gathered on nuclear DNA microsatellite for Amm[ due to the expense of doing it !]

Watch this space!

 

[Bob Bee]

I keep some A m carnica as well as quite a number of colonies of A m mellifera and have noticed that the carnica have a longer more pointed wing and distinctive grey stripes, whereas the mellifera sub species have the occasional yellow stripe and more stubby wings.
I keep them in aparies a good 15 miles apart, but obviously there is some level of introgression from ligurian hybrids into both distinct subspecies.
The bees on Rame are very black... and seem to be relatively "pure A m m "
Wing morphometry, and hair length are good indicators of the sub species..and seems to be the best markers availiable as yet there is little data gathered on nuclear DNA microsatellite for Amm[ due to the expense of doing it !]

Watch this space!

I've bee working with some melifera melifera this year (also awaiting DNA and the latest colony from a selected queen has mostly dark bees but some 10% with either single or double stripes. Good example of multiple mating and some interesting articles recently on double banding pointing to recent introduction of "italian" .

 

[Bob Bee]

better resolution here:
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=588&pictureid=3140

 

[Bob Bee]

is your mate the portugese photographer linked to by wikipedia?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Alvesgaspar/Wasps_&_bees

Nice link Ta.

 

[For want of a better word]

View attachment 8914


There are the Cornish Local Mongrels that abound in these parts... the wing Morphometry shows a good mix of Amm mixed with whatever else is flying about..... will try to find a recent pic of the more pure Amm we are working with.. directly!