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Black bee keepers7/23/2023 What Happened to Black BeesĪs beekeepers bred for desired tendencies, fewer of the original colonies existed. Primarily, they only survived pure in remote locations where feral colonies had no outside genetics. They are a combination of many different races and strains of genetics that have been brought in to the country. Over time, we have reached the position we find ourselves in today. Unless you buy bees from a special breeder, you have “mutt” bees. Researchers hope to develop a bee with superior traits. Calmness, honey production, mite resistant – we hope for the best of everything. Today selective breeding of honey bees is still underway. Unfortunately, when the black bees interbred with others – the resulting hybrids tended to be even more defensive. Hopefully, both being European Honey Bees, the Italians would benefit the gene pool.īeing of the same species but different race, the Black and Italian bees were able to interbreed. The German Black Bees were known to be rather fierce individuals. They were runny on the comb, prone to stinging and very defensive.įor beekeepers needing to work their hives, the idea of having a hive easier to manage was appealing. All are important to beekeepers in terms of hive management. These tendencies include: defensiveness vs calm, good honey producer, swarm prone or less likely to swarm. For over 200 years, they expanded across the US.īy subscribing, I consent to receiving emails.Įach type of honey bee has certain genetic traits. Like all healthy colonies, they swarmed forming new feral colonies. The Black Honey Bee did well in the New World finding ample sources of pollen and nectar. There are no native honey bees in the US. But, beehives were established in the area of Virginia as early as 1622. But, hive styles transitioned into log hives and various styles of wooden bee boxes in the new world. The traditional bee hive skeps of straw were common in the old country. More crops are produced in orchards and vegetable gardens with a beehive nearby. ![]() Their journey to America was likely thanks to early colonists. Hives traveled the ships to make the journey to the new country.Ĭolonists wanted the products that bee colonies provide. Honey and beeswax are valuable resources that have many uses.Īnd, these colonial beekeepers understood the value of bee pollination of gardens. Those with Carniolan and Russian genes tend to be dark also. Not every dark honey bee is Apis Mellifera mellifera. Keep in mind however, we are not only referring to the color of the honey bee but rather the genetics. These insects have a dark abdomen and thorax. From there, they extended into the Northern and Eastern regions of Europe.Īlso, called the German Black Bee, their scientific name is Apis mellifera mellifera. The dark bee of Northern Europe originated in Southern France.
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