Italian bee

Encyclopedia : I : IT : ITA : Italian bee

Apis mellifera ligustica is the Italian bee which is a sub-species of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera).

Contents

1 Origin
2 Anatomy
3 Disease Resistance
4 Behavior

4.1 beneficial
4.2 not beneficial

5 Character
6 Selective breeding
7 Worldwide Distribution
8 See also

Origin

The Italian honeybee originates from the continental part of Italy, South of the Alps, and North of Sicily. The subspecies may have survived the last ice age in Italy. It is genetically a different subspecies than the subspecies from the Iberian peninsula and from Sicily. It is the most widely distributed of all honeybees, and has proved adaptable to most climates from subtropical to cool temperate, but it is less satisfactory in humid tropical regions.

Italian bees, having been conditioned to the warmer climate of the central Mediterranean, are less able to cope with the "hard" winters and cool, wet springs of more northern latitudes. They do not form such tight winter clusters. More food has to be consumed to compensate for the greater heat loss from the loose cluster. The tendency to raise brood late in autumn also increases food consumption.

Anatomy

Color: Abdomen has brown and yellow bands. Among different strains of Italian bees there are three different colors: Leather; bright yellow (golden); and very pale yellow (Cordovan).
Size: The bodies are smaller and their overhairs shorter than those of the darker honeybee races
Tongue length: 6.3 to 6.6 mm
Mean Cubital index: 2.2 to 2.5

Disease Resistance

There is no clear evidence that Ligustica is any more resistant to acarine mites than the Northern dark bee. Ligustica also appears to be less tolerant of Nosema than Northern dark bee. They are unable to retain faeces in the gut for long periods and require more frequent cleaning flights than the dark bees. They are affected by the parasitic varroa mite, and the bacterial diseases European Foulbrood, American Foul Brood, Chalkbrood, Tracheal Mites and other diseases of the honeybee.

Behavior

beneficial

shows strong disposition to breeding and very prolific
excellent housekeeper (which some scientists think might be a factor in disease resistance)
uses little propolis
excellent foragers
superb comb builders
covers the honey with brilliant white cappings
shows lower swarming tendency than other Western honeybee races
for areas with continuous nectar flow and favorable weather throughout the summer

not beneficial

more prone to drifting and robbing than the other principal races of Europe.
Often the strong brood rearing disposition and resulting large food consumption in late winter or early spring causes spring dwindling and hence slow or tardy spring development
brood rearing starts late and lasts long into late Summer or Autumn, irrespective of nectar flow
tends to forage over shorter distances than either Carnica or Mellifera, and may therefore be less effective in poorer nectar flows.
apparently lacks the ability to ripen heather honey before sealing.
for cool maritime regions
for areas with strong spring flow
for areas with periods of dearth of nectar in the summer

Character

Italian honey bees bearding outside the hive entrance

It has a reputation for gentleness, but hybrids with the darker races can be especially vicious.

Selective breeding

Breeders of Italian bees as well as other honeybee races look for certain beneficial characteristics. Depending on the breeding goal one or more of the following characteristics will be emphasized.

Gentleness or excitability
Resistance to various diseases and the tracheal mite plus the Varroa mite
Early spring buildup in population
Wintering ability
Not prone to excess swarming
Ripens honey rapidly
Honeycomb cappings are white
Minimal use of propolis
Availability and queen cost
Color

Source: [link] George Imrie's pink pages

Worldwide Distribution

1814 introduced into the United Kingdom
1853? introduced to Germany
1839 introduced into New Zealand
1859 introduced to the USA
1862 introduced to Australia
1866 introduced to Finland
1885 introduced to Kangaroo Island South Australia

Queen bees
Honeybee types and characteristics ([edit])
Queen bee \| Virgin queen \| Piping queen \| Supersedure
Worker and drone bees
Worker bee \| Laying worker bee – Drone (bee)
Lifecycle
Beehive \| Honeybee life cycle \| Brood \| Bee learning and communication \| Swarming (honeybee)
Species and cultivation
Apiary \| Beekeeping \| Beeswax \| Honey \| Langstroth hive \| Top-bar hive Africanized bee \| Buckfast hybrid bee \| Carniolan honeybee \| Italian bee \|Western honeybee
Lists
List of honeybee articles \| List of honeybee races
Diseases of the honeybee