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Races of Bees in North America Th ere are several popular to consume more food to compensate of propolis which may be beneficial if races that are raised in North America for the heat loss. Th ey also have a ten- you collect it, otherwise it can make for honey. Some of these races are dency to raise brood late in autumn it more difficult to work in the hive considered gentler than others mak- which also increases the winter food because they produce a very sticky ing them more ideal for beginning consumption. Characteristics are: propolis. Characteristics are: beekeepers. One other deciding point for some when making their choice of • Relatively gentle and non-aggres- • Moderate tendency to swarm bees to keep, is if they have a tendency sive • Large and strong population to swarm. Keep in mind all bees will • Worker bees are a light color and • Relatively gentle and non-aggres- swarm if they are crowded; however the queen is darker in color mak- sive there are some races that have a higher ing is her easier to locate • Winter well by stopping brood tendency to swarm. Also, some races • Great foragers production in the fall are more common and are easier to • Colonies are usually large • Forages earlier and on cooler days purchase and less expensive than oth- • Winter well • Produce and use a good deal of ers. No matt er which race you decide • Minimum propolis propolis on, keep in mind a well managed • Keep a clean hive • Silver gray to brown in color colony should do just fi ne. • Yellow in coloring with bands on • Has a longer tongue than most the abdomen races and can thereby take advan- Italian Bees • Moderate tendency to swarm tage of more nectar sources than Originally from Italy, Italian bees • Readily builds comb most have become the most popular bee in • Have a strong tendency to rob • Slow spring startup the United States as they have been • Most common race of honeybees • Are not prone to rob considered the best all-purpose bee • Good beginner bee and have relatively gentle behavior. Th ey are the most widely distributed of all honey bees due to their abil- ity to adapt to most . Th ese bees are yellow in color, overwinter well and build up quickly in spring. Most Italian bees are bred and raised in the south; however, you can fi nd

some northern breeders as well but Italian honeybees are yellow in color. Caucasian honeybees are silver gray to dark they typically won’t be available for brown in color. purchase until late spring or early Caucasian Bees summer. Italian bees are most oft en Caucasian honeybees originated Carniolan Bees recommended to beginners due to the from the high valleys of the Central Carnolian honeybees are a subspe- fact that they are the most common Caucasus. They are a silver gray to cies of Western honeybee. It originates bee stock and easily found in packag- dark brown in color. Caucasian bees from Slovenia the southern part of es. Th eir biggest weakness is that they are slower to build up in the spring, Austrian Alps. They can be found also are prone to rob and drift . More food they are more gentle than the Italian in parts of Hungary, Romania, Croa- is consumed in cooler climates that and not prone to rob and are on aver- tia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Serbia. have hard winters because they do not age just as productive as the Italians. They are a darker brown to black in form a tight , they have They produce an excessive amount color. They are the second most annLakeLtd.com 800-880-7694 M An Employee Owned Company Hackensack, MN ◆ Woodland, CA

popular race among beekeepers after Russian • Winter well the Italian. Their ability to defend The Russian honeybee came • Adapted well to areas with damp themselves against pests makes from the Primorsky region and have cold winters them a great choice. Carnolians are evolved traits of resistance to natural • Low tendency to swarm extremely gentle in their behavior to- mites since it lived in a region that is • Low consumption of winter stores ward beekeepers. They have a higher home to Varroa Mite and Tracheal • Inclined to rob resistance to some diseases and para- Mites. They are a dark drown to black • Excellent honey producers sites. Carnolian performance benefits in color and resemble the Carniolan • Resistant to tracheal mites greatly from supplemental feeding bee. The bees winter well in extremely of pollen substitute and sugar syrup. cold temperatures in small winter Characteristics are: clusters. They tend to be more apt to build queen cells throughout the • Extremely gentle and non-aggres- brood season and have a tendency to sive - easy to work with swarm. Characteristics are: • Best wintering bee as the queen stops brood production in the fall • Resistant to Varroa Mite • Little use of propolis • Resistant to Tracheal Mite • Builds up very rapidly in spring • Winter well Buckfast honeybees are yellow to brown in • Summer brood rearing depends • Brood rearing is highly dependent color. on pollen and nectar flow on forage availability • Forages on colder and wetter days • Tends to swarm QUICK TIPS than most other races • Expensive • Brood production is dependent Italian Bees are the most popu- on availability of nectar and pol- lar bee in the United States len sources, meaning more food because of their gentle behavior. equals more foragers, less food equals smaller population Caucasian Bees are slower to • Less susceptible to brood disease build up in spring, but are more • Tends to swarm easily when no Russian honeybees are a darker brown to gentle than the Italian Bee. expansion room is available black in color. • If pollen is scarce, brood rearing Buckfast Carniolan Bees are the second greatly diminishes Buckfast honey bees were de- most popular race because of • Not likely to rob veloped by Brother Adams in the their ability to defend themselves 20th century and are a mixed race of against insect pests. bees. They have become very popu- lar among beekeepers due to their Russian Bees have built up extremely gentle behavior, their ability resistance to Varroa Mites and to build up rapidly in the spring and Tracheal Mites. produce great crops. They drop back in population come fall and winter Buckfast Bees build up rapidly extremely well. Characteristics are: in spring and are extremely gentle in behavior. • Build up rapidly in the spring Carniolan honeybees are a darker brown to black in color. • Extremely gentle