Apis+mellifera+-+the+European+honey+bee+(PRM)


 * //Apis mellifera// - the common European honey bee**

While all honey bees are important for both crop-pollination and biodiversity in general, the European honey bee //Apis mellifera// is by far the most economically important of all honey bees (Le Conte,Y. 2008). There are around twenty-five sub-species of //A. mellifera// globally, however, the origin of the bee is disputed. Historically, Asian (Breed,Michael 1989), middle eastern (Garnery,L. 1992) and African (Whitfield,C.W. 2006) origins have all been suggested, with little to nothing universally agreed upon.

Due to the species early spread or introduction into temporal Europe, //A. mellifera// had to adapt to long and harsh winters. To do this, the bee increasd productivity during the warmer months and stockpiled honey for the long winter when pollen production is scarce. This allowed the bee to thrive in the European environment (Breed,Michael 1989). Honey bees in tropical climates do not exhibit this industrious behaviour as they have access to flowers all year round and honey stockpiling is simply unnecessary. This gives rise to bee-keepers labelling tropical bees 'lazy'. If you couple this tireless behaviour with a placid temperament, //A. mellifera// is widely considered the ideal choice for apiculture.

//A. Mellifera// collecting nectar. Source: http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/images/hymenoptera/index.html