Carinthian bee
| Carinthian bee, Carniolan bee, Lower Austrian bee, Banat bee, Carpathian bee or Karst bee ' | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carinthian bee ( Apis mellifera carnica ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Apis mellifera carnica | ||||||||||||
| Pollmann , 1879 |
The bees of the two groups of Apis mellifera Carnica are also called Carinthian bees , Carniolan bees , Lower Austrian bees , Banat bees , Carpathian bees or Karst bees , based on different regions, and is a naturally occurring subspecies of the western honey bee ( Apis mellifera ). Of the beekeepers it is also simply Carnica called.
description
It is the northernmost representative of the Balkan populations and is only indigenous (originally) to the regions south of the Alps . In the years after the Second World War , it was spread throughout the German-speaking region and almost completely displaced the dark European bee , which is native to the north of the Alps . The reasons were the larger population and the higher honey yield that could be achieved with it.
Since the Carinthian bee was shaped by the south-eastern Alpine climate, it copes well with hot summers and cold winters. The humidity and instability of the marine climate, on the other hand, cause it difficulties, which is why it is hardly widespread in England, France and Scandinavia. The Carinthian bee is gentle, but in contrast to some other subspecies of Apis mellifera has an increased swarm instinct .
According to publications by the Carnica breeder Hans Peschetz , there was a "bee-race-mish-mash" in Carinthia and it was not until 1929 that Carnica (Glockner family) was bred and propagated from the foot of the Grossglockner in Carinthia. There are currently bees in Carinthia with a relatively high proportion of Carnica. In 2014, according to the breeding report of the regional association for beekeeping in Carinthia, there were only 20 recognized Carnica breeders.
According to the current Carinthian beekeeping law, only “pure-bred” bees are allowed in Carinthia. From neighboring Italy, the home of the subspecies Apis mellifera ligustica , the influence of these drones cannot be prevented. In the Austrian federal states of Vienna , Lower Austria , Styria and Carinthia , only the keeping or breeding of Carinthian bees with their associated strains and lines is generally permitted. The keeping of other “pure-bred” bees there requires a permit.
features
Within the Carnica breed, two groups with relatively small differences in characteristics can be recognized, which cannot be distinguished from one another precisely enough to be able to speak of a breed of their own: the Alpine population (Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia) and the Pannonian population (Hungary , Carpathians, most of the former Yugoslavia), says Friedrich Ruttner.
Ruttner explains the color of the armor as follows: Light rings on the abdomen occur in the ancestral population in all areas of Austria, including the most remote valleys, a tenth to almost half of the colonies, even if only in a few bees (5–10%). To understand this characteristic as a hybrid sign is therefore certainly wrong, it clearly belongs to the natural spectrum of variation of this bee. In the eastern lowlands - although not very much data is available from here - the rings appear to be somewhat more common than in the mountains. To the southeast, the rings are also more common and double rings also appear. In an extensive study in Hungary, Ferenc Bakk found two rings in one percent of workers and one ring in seven percent.
Essential characteristics of the Carinthian bee are according to Friedrich Ruttner: (for Alpine Carnica - breeding colonies)
- Shape:
- medium-sized
- slim
- long body appendages
- Armor color of the abdomen of the workers:
- dark, sometimes leather-brown corners and 1 ring (no bastard feature)
In summary, Ruttner presents the characteristics of a Carnica colony worthy of breeding as follows: Overall picture: gray, gentle, calm Worker bees color mark: The breeding goal is purely dark. According to the breeding regulations of the German Beekeeping Association, only corners, but not rings, are permitted. In the “natural breed standard” of Carnica, brown rings are included in all origins in varying frequencies. The evaluation of the suit signs is a question of breeding agreement and not of breed unity. The sudden appearance of rings in a previously uniformly good line is an indication of crossbreeding.
honey
The honey of the Carinthian bee has been included in the register of traditional foods and is named as Rosental Carnica honey for the Rosental as a pleasure region .
Relationship between Carnica and Buckfast bee
In Germany and Austria, some professional beekeepers prefer keeping the Buckfast bee, while other professional and the majority of hobby beekeepers keep and breed the Carinthian bee. In Carinthia , therefore, there were violent disputes between commercial and hobby beekeepers over the Carinthian Beekeeping Act of July 5, 2007, which regulates the keeping, migration and breeding of bees that do not belong to the "Carnica" breed (Apis mellifera carnica) from a ( usually not granted) approval of the state government. In 2015 there were reports against and voluntary reports by beekeepers in order to achieve a change in the law. The chairman of the professional beekeepers argued: “The beekeeping law requires pure breeding of Carnica and 95 percent of pure breeding of Carnica is not available in Carinthia.” The chairman of the regional association of Carinthian beekeepers, Meinhard Schöffmann, argues against it: “Straight from the Those who are responsible for ensuring that we have hybridized bees in Carinthia will now be reported to those who are trying to preserve Carnica in Carinthia. ”Despite the disputes, the Carinthian Beekeeping Act is still in force in its current form . In neighboring Styria , the state government is planning to relax the regulations.
See also
Web links
- The origin and path of the Peschetzbiene essay by Dr. Wolfgang Kessler
- Styrian Beekeeping Act - BZG (Section 22 only allows Carnica)
Individual evidence
- ^ Friedrich Ruttner, Natural history of the honeybee, pages 95-100, 2nd edition 2003 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. ISBN 3-440-09477-4
- ↑ see e.g. B. §7 (1) Vienna Law on Keeping and Breeding Bees ( http://www.wien.gv.at/recht/landesrecht-wien/rechtsordnung/html/l2740000.htm )
- ↑ Friedrich Ruttner, Natural history of the honeybee, page 95f, 2nd edition 2003 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. ISBN 3-440-09477-4
- ^ Friedrich Ruttner, Natural history of the honeybee, page 90f, 2nd edition 2003 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. ISBN 3-440-09477-4
- ↑ Friedrich Ruttner, breeding technology and selective breeding in the bee, page 131ff, 5th ed. 1983 Ehrenwirth Publishing ISBN 3-431-02555-2
- ↑ German Beekeeping Association : DIB breeding guidelines (status: 2002) , accessed on June 10, 2017
- ↑ Rosental Carnica honey . Entry no. 56 in the register of traditional foods of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism .
- ↑ Carinthian Beekeeping Act of July 5, 2007.
- ↑ Beekeepers want to overturn the beekeeping law , ORF.at, July 12, 2015.
- ^ "Bee war": Greens strengthen the Carnica front , krone.at, November 3, 2018.