The Different Types of Honeybees You Can Raise

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Like every living organism on Earth with several subspecies, there are many different types of honey bees, each with their own traits. Apis mellifera, the western honey bee or the European honey bee, is the most common honey bee in the world. Apis mellifera consists of several subspecies of honey bees that vary based on appearance, behaviors, disease resistance, productivity, and more. According to beekeepers’ preferences, they may choose to breed certain types of apis mellifera to obtain desired traits.

Italian Bees

Italian honey bees remain the favored apis mellifera subspecies in the United States due to their excellent honey production. They are moderately gentle and have a lower tendency to swarm than other subspecies. In addition, Italian honey bees’ notable light yellow color is aesthetically appealing to beekeepers.

However, Italian honey bees have extended periods of brood rearing—the process from laying the eggs to hatching—from early spring to late fall. These longer periods are not ideal in colder climates because the colonies can starve if there is not enough food available for all the bees.

Italian honey bees are also vulnerable to two deadly parasitic mites, tracheal and varroa mites, that equipment sharing and overcrowding can expose them to. These mites have the ability to devastate entire colonies in one to two years (or less!). In addition, Italian honey bees often steal honey from weak or dead neighboring colonies, which can cause diseases to spread.

Russian Bees

Russian honey bees are darker in color. In contrast with Italian honey bees, Russian honey bees are significantly more resistant to the two mites that are deadly to Italian honey bees. Their mite resistance is because of their origin to a region—the Primorski region on the Sea of Japan—that has lived with the mites for decades and their house cleaning behaviors. Russian honey bees are also less likely to rob other hives than Italian honey bees. They are more accustomed to colder climates because their brood rearing occurs when nectar and pollen are available. When there is less food, they will change their brood rearing behaviors.

Because Russian honey bees perform better when they are alone and not around other subspecies, cross-contamination of diseases is less likely. Similar to Italian honey bees, they are generally less defensive bees. However, Russian honey bees are more likely to swarm.

Carniolan Bees

Carniolan honey bees are dark and have abdomens with brown spots or marks. Carniolan honey bee populations are able to grow quickly, and they thrive from the early spring blooms because of their explosive spring buildup. Beekeepers can easily work with these bees with little smoke and protective clothing because the bees are very gentle. In addition, Carniolan honey bees are less likely to rob other colonies, which in turn is less likely to spread diseases throughout the colonies. Wax products like candles, soaps, and cosmetics benefit from the good wax comb building behaviors of this subspecies.

Similar to Russian bees, Carniolan bees adjust brood production based on the availability of food. They also fare better than others in winter months because they can search for food on cold, wet days. Carniolan honey bees are good at repelling parasites and are relatively resistant to some diseases. However, because of their explosive spring buildup, Carniolan honey bees have a high likelihood of swarming to reduce overcrowding.

Buckfast Bees

Buckfast honey bees exemplify the “typical” honey bee appearance with their yellow and brown color. They thrive in cold, wet climates and have good honey production and house cleaning behaviors that ward off diseases. They are also resistant to tracheal mites and have a low tendency to swarm. In contrast with Carniolan bees, they have mild spring population buildup and cannot take advantage of early spring blooms. Buckfast honey bees are moderately defensive and can become extremely defensive if left unmanaged.

Caucasian Bees

Caucasian honey bees are dark in color. They have long tongues that facilitate their abilities to search for nectar from flowers other subspecies can’t forage from. Caucasian honey bees are also very gentle like their Carniolan counterparts. But they have very slow spring buildup which affects their honey production, and they use large amounts of propolis—the resin known as “bee glue”—to construct their hives, making it harder for beekeepers to enter the hives.

German Bees

German honey bees are also dark in color. They are accustomed to long, cold winters, which is ideal for colder climates. However, German honey bees are very defensive and susceptible to many diseases. Because many colonies have succumbed to diseases, this subspecies is rare.

Hybrid Bees: Midnite, Starline, Double-Hybrid, and Indiana Mite-Biter

Hybrid honey bees were created by crossing different subspecies to maintain or remove specific characteristics. For example, the Caucasian and Carniolan honey bees were crossed to create the Midnite bee. The Midnite bee was hoped to retain the gentleness of the Caucasian and Carniolan bees but reduce the swarming of the Carniolan bees and the propolis of the Caucasian honey bees. In addition, Starline honey bees were created by the crossing of different strains of the Italian honey bee. The Midnite bee and the Starline bee were crossed to develop the Double Hybrid. The Indiana Mite Biter is known for its grooming behaviors that “mutilate” the Varroa destructor mites that have devastated honey bee colonies.

Before you start beekeeping, do your research and find the best type of bee for your own preferences and geographic location!

Sources:

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The Different Types of Honeybees You Can Raise