Italian bee

Apis mellifera ligustica is the Italian bee which is a sub-species of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera).

Origin

The Italian honeybee originates from the continental part of Italy South of the Alps and North of Sicily. The subspecies may have survived the last ice age in Italy as it is genetically different subspecies than the subspecies from the Iberian peninsula and from Siciliy. It is the most widely distributed of all honeybees, and has proved adaptable to most climates from subtropical to cool temperate, but it is less satisfactory in humid tropical regions.

Italian bees, having been conditioned to the warmer climate of the central Mediterranean, are less able to cope with the "hard" winters and cool, wet springs of more northern latitudes. they do not form such tight winter clusters. More food has to be consumed to compensate for the greater heat loss from the cluster. The tendency to raise brood late in Autumn also increases food consumption.

Anatomy

• Color: Abdomen has brown and yellow bands. Among different strains of Italian bees there are three different colors: Leather; bright yellow (golden); and very pale yellow.
• Size: The bodies are smaller and their overhairs shorter than those of the darker honeybee races
• Tongue length: 6.3 to 6.6 mm
• Mean Cubital index: 2.2 to 2.5

Disease Resistance

There is no clear evidence that Ligustica is any more resistant to acarine mites than Mellifera. Ligustica also appears to be less tolerant of Nosema than Mellifera. They are unable to retain faeces in the gut for long periods and require more frequent cleaning flights than the dark bees. They are affected by the parasitic varroa mite, and the bacterial diseases European Foulbrood, American Foulbrood, Chalkbrood, Nosema and other diseases of the honeybee.

Behavior

beneficial

• shows strong disposition to breeding and very prolific
• excellent housekeeper (which some scientists think might be a factor in disease resistance)
• uses little propolis
• excellent foragers
• superb comb builders
• covers the honey with brilliant white cappings
• shows lower swarming tendency than other Western honeybee races
• for areas with continuous nectar flow and favorable weather throughout the summer

not beneficial

• more prone to drifting and robbing than the other principal races of Europe.
• Often the strong brood rearing disposition and resulting large food consumption in late winter or early spring causes spring dwindling and hence slow or tardy spring development
• brood rearing starts late and lasts long into late Summer or Autumn, irrespective of nectar flow
• tends to forage over shorter distances than either Carnica or Mellifera, and may therefore be less effective in poorer nectar flows.
• apparently lacks the ability to ripen heather honey before sealing.
• for cool maritime regions
• for areas with strong spring flow
• for areas with periods of dearth of nectar in the summer

Character

It has a reputation for gentleness, but hybrids with the darker races can be especially vicious.

Selective breeding

Breeders of Italian bees as well as other honeybee races look for certain beneficial characteristics. Depending on the breeding goal one or more of the following characteristics will be emphasized.

1. Gentleness or excitability
2. Resistance to various diseases and the tracheal mite plus the Varroa mite
3. Early spring buildup in population
4. Wintering ability
5. Not prone to excess swarming
6. Ripens honey rapidly
7. Honeycomb cappings are white
8. Minimal use of propolis
9. Availablity and queen cost
10. Color

Source: [1] George Imrie's pink pages

Worldwide Distribution

• 1814 introduced into the United Kingdom
• 1853? introduced to Germany
• 1839 introduced into New Zealand
• 1859 introduced to the USA
• 1862 introduced to Australia
• 1866 introduced to Finland
• 1885 introduced to Kangaroo Island South Australia