Apis mellifera lamarckii

Lamarck's honey bee or the Egyptian honey bee, Apis mellifera lamarckii, is a subspecies of honey bee native to the Nile valley of Egypt and Sudan, named after Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.

Lamarck's honey bee
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species:
A. mellifera
Subspecies:
A. m. lamarckii
Trinomial name
Apis mellifera lamarckii
Cockerell, 1906

Description

It is a dark honey bee with yellow abdomen, and is a small subspecies like the races South of the Sahara. The Lamarck's mitotype can also be identified in honey bees from California and in feral bees from Florida.

A unique trait of the pure lamarckii is that it does not collect propolis. Lamarckii does not form winter clusters and therefore the pure strain cannot overwinter in areas that experience freezing temperatures.

It is considered defensive, low in honey yield, and exhibiting good hygienic behavior.

See also

References

  • Soliman M. Kamel; et al. (2003). "A scientific note on hygienic behavior in Apis mellifera lamarckii and A. m. carnica in Egypt" (PDF). Apidologie. 34 (2): 189–190. doi:10.1051/apido:2003014.
  • M. T. Sanford (1992). "Reflections on Egyptian Beekeeping". APIS. 10 (3). Archived from the original on 2006-05-17.
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