Bee breeds are groups of bee families that traditionally live in a certain area and differ from each other in characteristic features. The exact number of breeds is unknown: some experts distinguish 30 groups, others - 50, 60 and more, and the entomologist Kozhevnikov generally divided all bees into yellow and dark. Nevertheless, there are resistant breeds (races) of bees - and therefore we will consider those that are found in Russia.
The best breeds of Russian bees
The following breeds are traditionally bred in Russia:
- Central Russian.
- Gray mountain Caucasian.
- Ukrainian steppe.
- Carpathian.
- Yellow Caucasian.
- Italian.
- Krainsky.
Well, now let's look at the features of these breeds.
Central Russian breed
Belongs to the European super breed (along with the Dutch, British, German and other types of bees). In their natural environment they live in central Russia up to the Urals, beyond the Urals - only in apiaries.
The main difference between the breed is the size of the bees: up to 110 mg in young animals. The color is dark gray, there is no yellowness. The proboscis is short - no more than 6.4 mm. The breed is distinguished by its extreme “malice”, high quality combs, but at the same time it “fixates” on the same sources of nectar, therefore it does not switch well to new sources of honey collection. They are very good at mass gathering from abundant sources.
Honey is put first in the store, and only then in the nest. After death, the uterus does not become tinder for a long time, but there is practically no quiet replacement of the uterus or double cohabitation in the nests. The breed is very swarming - up to half of the families go into swarming during the season, while it is almost impossible to interrupt the swarming state.
They overwinter exceptionally well, not responding to temperature changes. They practically do not need insulation.
Italian breed
This subspecies originated in Italy, but is now distributed throughout the world. These bees are yellow, proboscis up to 6.7 mm, weight - up to 115 mg. Bees are very peaceful, thieving, but they protect their nest well. They are extremely enterprising, they use any kind of honey plants. They work well in areas where honey collection is late, but stable. Wax productivity is the highest, good pollinators.
Carpathian breed (Carpathian)
A natural selection breed that originated in the west of Ukraine. Proboscis length up to 7.1 mm. Differs in high fertility, which allows you to quickly increase the number of bee colonies. Uses all types of honey plants. They winter well, swarm poorly, and are very peaceful. In fact, in many regions it is an ideal breed of bees, second only to the Central Russian in quality.
The uterus reacts calmly to selection; during periods of forced calm, they do not spoil the foundation. They are able to work even in the extreme climate of Western Siberia. A peaceful change of the uterus is possible with the cohabitation of the old and the young for a period of up to 1-1.5 months. Propolis is collected and used very little. The main drawback is a tolerant attitude towards the wax moth: bees do not react to this pest.
Krajinskaya breed
The original area is the Alps, Yugoslavia, Austria. Gray bees with a silvery sheen and proboscis up to 6.8 mm. Individual weight - 110 mg. The breed is peaceful, adventurous. Honey is put first in the nest, then in stores. In terms of winter hardiness, they surpass the Caucasian breed, but are inferior to the Central Russian and Carpathian. They are effective for early honey collection, they swarm a little. Propolis is used little.
As pollinators, clover is better than Central Russian, but worse than Caucasian bees. The breed is good for temperate climates and not too active honey collection.
Caucasian breed
Gray mountain bees with a proboscis up to 7.2 mm, the weight of a bee is up to 90 mg. They are extremely peaceful, they are well protected from theft, but they themselves are prone to it. Enterprising during honey collection. Good pollinators, collect a lot of propolis, but not very fertile, little swarm.
A subspecies of Caucasians is a yellow bee, widespread in Transcaucasia and Azerbaijan. Weight up to 90 mg, proboscis up to 6.9 mm. They are extremely prone to theft, they winter poorly in the northern regions, and are not very fertile. Because of this, breeding "yellow Caucasians" in Central and Northern Russia does not make sense, and there this breed is found only in apiaries of enthusiastic breeders as a source of genes for work.
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