Cretan bee

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Cretan bee
Systematics
without rank: Bees (Apiformes)
Family : Apidae
Subfamily : Apinae
Genre : Honey bees ( apis )
Type : Western honey bee ( Apis mellifera )
Subspecies : Cretan bee
Scientific name
Apis mellifera adami
Ruttner , 1975

The Cretan bee ( Apis mellifera adami ) is a subspecies of the western honey bee .

description

Workers

The workers are medium-sized bees with relatively long legs but short and narrow wings. The femur and tibia are much longer than that of honeybees from mainland Greece, while the metatarsus is shorter. The two wax levels on sternite three are particularly far apart. The proboscis reaches a length of about 6.46 millimeters, which is significantly less than the length of honey bees on the Greek mainland. The abdomen has only a short outer hair (0.30 millimeters). The wide and dense felt bandages shape the habitus of the Cretan bee very much. Based on the pigmentation of the abdomen, the animals appear extremely yellow. The scutellum is mostly dark. The cubital index of the Cretan bee, with a mean value of 1.891, is in the lower end of the known range of variation for honey bees and is particularly characteristic.

Drones

Compared to the workers, the drones are uniformly darkly pigmented. The scutellum is also uniformly dark. The thorax is hairy "clay-gray or somewhat darker". The cubital index is very low.

Queens

The queens always have dark pigmentation all over their bodies.

distribution

The subspecies is only proven safe on Crete . The exact delimitation of the distribution area from other subspecies is still insufficiently known.

Behavior and way of life

The Cretan bee maintains its breeding activity throughout the winter with two to three breeding circles about 15 centimeters in diameter. Gross activity increases sharply from February and peaks in April and May. From mid-May onwards, there is an approx. Six week break from feeding, during which the brood size is reduced. In July there is a second, but less pronounced, increase in breeding. This brooding rhythm is typical for the honeybees of the Mediterranean region and corresponds to the range of costumes on Crete with numerous floral elements blooming in the winter and spring months and the blooming of extensive thyme stocks in July and August.

Cretan bees are very fond of swarms. Their temperament is extremely calm, but even small irritations can lead to mass attacks.

Systematics

Apis mellifera adami was first described in 1975 by Friedrich Ruttner on the basis of morphometric studies. It is named after the beekeeper and researcher brother Adam (1898–1996).

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Friedrich Ruttner: Apis mellifera adami (n. Ssp.), The Cretan bee . Apidologie 11 (4), 1980, pp. 385-400. doi : 10.1051 / apido: 19800407 ( online )

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