Wild bees

Honey bees belong to the genus "Apis." This genus is divided into nine bee species. The western honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) lives in Europe. There are also, for example, the eastern honey bee ( Apis cerena ) and the giant honey bee ( Apis dorsate ).

The different bee species sometimes differ significantly from one another. For example, in behavior and appearance. They can be larger or smaller or prefer different nesting areas. There are also species that repeatedly change their habitat, leaving the honeycomb and rebuilding somewhere else. Or they prefer open trees as nesting sites instead of caves and trees.

What is a bee breed?

An animal species can be divided into breeds. This system is based on, for example, the animals' appearance and behavior, as well as their adaptation to a particular habitat. However, this system is man-made and not natural. The boundaries are arbitrary, and hybrid forms naturally exist. The term "breed" seems to be used only for domestic animals and bees. For other animals, the term "subspecies" has apparently been adopted.

The dark bee (Apis mellifera mellifera), for example, was originally widespread in England, Germany, and Poland. However, it has been displaced by beekeepers by the Carnica bee ( Apis mellifera carnica ), which originates from Austria and neighboring regions, and is now almost nonexistent.

The Buckfast is not a Western honey bee breed, as it is not focused on a specific appearance. The goal of breeding is to produce a bee with specific behavioral and performance characteristics.

Text source: German Bee Journal