Maltese bee
Maltese bee | ||||||||||||
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Maltese bee ( Apis mellifera ruttneri ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Apis mellifera ruttneri | ||||||||||||
Sheppard , Arias , Grech & Meixner , 1997 |
The Maltese bee ( Apis mellifera ruttneri ) is a subspecies of the honey bee in Malta . It was only recognized as an independent subspecies within the dark honeybees from Northern and Western Europe and North Africa in 1997.
Morphology and behavior
Apis mellifera ruttneri is almost black. Your closest relatives are A. m. sicula from Sicily and A. m. intermissa from mainland Africa . Apis mellifera ruttneri has adapted well to the harsh island climate on Malta and is considered not very gentle. Apis mellifera ruttneri has a comparatively high resistance to varroa .
Web links
- Apis mellifera ruttneri . In: Atlas Hymenoptera , accessed November 29, 2018.