Ligustica

An Italian bee (Apis mellifera ligustica) on white sweet clover (Melilotus albus). The pollen collected in the "basket" on its hind leg is clearly visible. Photographed in Keila, Estonia. Photo: Ivar Leidus (License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).

The Italian bee ( Apis mellifera ligustica ) is a naturally occurring subspecies of the western honey bee ( Apis mellifera ). Beekeepers also call it simply Ligustica .

The bee is native to the Italian peninsula. Its color always tends toward yellow, with variations between lemon yellow and leather brown. As a bee native to this area, it has excellent honey-gathering qualities and peaceful nature. It is considered the best collector of blossom honey, a fact that beekeepers in other parts of the world soon recognized.

This breed is now the most widely kept honey bee in the world. It is even successfully used in Scandinavia and Alaska. It never became established in Switzerland, but unlike the Carnica bee from Carinthia, no efforts were made to select it for local conditions.

Essential characteristics of the Italian bee according to Friedrich Ruttner:

• Shape:
  • medium-sized
  • slim
  • long body appendages
• Armor color of the abdomen of the workers:
  • clearly 1 – 3 rings, yellow coloration alternately extended:
  • Felt bands (4th dorsal scale): broad, yellowish
  • Overhair of the 5th dorsal scale: short