Caucasian Honeybee - A superior line of bees with most potential
Honeybees have adapted to many geographic regions overtime, resulting in differences in honeybee races. Each race has different behavioral characteristics that make it more beneficial for the beekeeper, who can harness these positive traits. In the United States, large scale operations use three different honeybee races -Italian, Carniolan and Caucasian honeybees.
A. mellifera caucasica is a honeybee race originally found in the Caucasian mountains and it has very distinctive characteristics that differentiate it from other races.
According to the biometric studies conducted by Alpotav[1], it has been identified to have predominantly 3 different ecotypes.
Mountain Type - Grey colored and looks more like Carnica bees
Dark Mountain Type - Small in size, utilizing more propolis
Yellow Plain Caucasian - Adaptation found in the lower altitudes of Caucasian mountains.
In our breeding program, we use the Caucasian breeding lines from the University of Washington, Pullman. There is no claim by anyone, including us, that these lines are 100 percent pure Caucasian. However, our stock is created from the purest genetic material available in the United States.
Caucasian bees are well adapted to the regions of Caucasian mountains with higher altitude and long and snowy winters. These factors make them as one of the most superior honeybee strains for productivity and cold climate hardiness.
The Caucasian honeybee looks very similar to Carnica bees regarding its size, shape and hair color. They are moderate size but slim, long, narrow abdomen. Caucasian bees also have the longest tongue when compared to any honeybee races. Having this long tongue put Caucasian bees in a winning position where the forge is mostly tubular flowers. Other bee races cannot access this flora because of their shorter tongue. This makes Caucasians excellent pollinators for alfalfa, clover and similar plants with deep tube flowers.
Caucasian bees are not an early starter in the spring, like Italians. So if your business is predominantly pollination services, early nucs and packages, Caucasian bees may not be a good fit. On the positive side, Caucasians bees have low inclinations to swarming, which helps in honey production. They are very gentle and non-aggressive bees, makes it an attractive race/lines of bees for homestead and backyard bee keepers.
Propolis
One of the talking points against Caucasian bees has been its inclination towards propolis. Caucasian bees collect propolis in large amounts and make a good use of it within the colony. For an innovative beekeeper, this can be another product of the hive with positive economic values. Propolis has shown to have many benefits to a colony and colony health. Many research studies conducted by Dr. Marla Spivak have shown the benefits of propolis for the honeybees. One such study [2] done by Hollie Dalenberg and Marla Spivak has shown that propolis displays antimicrobial activity against honeybee pathogens and promotes beneficial bacterial in the honeybee mouth parts.
Disease Resistance
Caucasian honeybees are more resistant to American Foulbrood disease than other races of bees. Some studies have shown that they have greater susceptibility to Nosema Apis infection. However, during our years of breeding them, we have never came across a case of Nosema Apis in our stock. Many times, proper management techniques will prevent the Nosema infection from any race of bees.
Other characteristics
Caucasian bees have shown more drifting than other races of bees. They also store more honey for winter and exhibit strong frugality which helps them in overwintering.
Our take
Caucasian bees are one of the most superior honeybee races in regards to productivity, cold climate hardiness and overwintering. They have greater foraging capabilities due to tongue length allowing Caucasian honeybees to standout in honey yields. Their greater propensity for propolis use improves potential for income with propolis harvesting. Their gentle, non-aggressive behavior places them as the best race/line of bee for homestead and backyard bee keepers.
References:[1] - V.V. Alpatov, The races of honeybees and their use in agriculture, Sredi Prirody 4
[2] - Propolis Envelope Promotes Beneficial Bacteria in the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Mouthpart Microbiome https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/657348/insects-11-00453.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
[3] - Importance of caucasian honeybee and its characteristics as a gene resource - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290338723_Importance_of_caucasian_honeybee_and_its_characteristics_as_a_gene_resource
