Apis Mellifera Mellifera

[BILLY BOB]

Hello all!

I was wanting to know if anyone knows of some place that I can find Apis Mellifera Mellifera, for sale. I live in North Georgia, and they can still be found in small pockets of ferial hives (if you're lucky). Most of my hives are mixed with AMM, but I was wanting to find a more "pure" stock.

I've heard that some people are looking for AMM more and more due to the fact that they are showing some promise with ristance to the mites, of corse most AMM didn't have people dumping chemicals into the ferial hives and nature has taken its corse, leading to natural mite ristant bees.

Thanks for the help!

Billy Bob

[Michael Bush]

I assume you are refering to the original dark european honey bee. I have consistently seen feral bees in this area (Nebraska) that are dark. Not silver like caucasians. I'm not sure of their origin but they are surviving. They are smaller than the Buckfast, Italian, and Russians that I'm raising and when you can get a really good look at them and the light catches them right there is a dark reddish strip or two on the abdomen. I don't know where you can get pure Apis Mellifera Mellifera. There are some Europeans who are trying to reestablish it as a pure breed.

[Michael Bush]

I have searched the web and so far have not found a US source for apis mellifera mellifera. Here is one in Ireland: http://www.galteehoneyfarm.com/darkgalteequeens.htm
Maybe they might know of someone here, but I wouldn't count on it. I don't know what it takes to transport a queen from Ireland to the US. Either in cost, or legalities or quarentine, or even if it is legal to do it.

[spectret]

we had a hive of them a few years ago...little girls would outdo italians in honey production, would propolise you to the frames if they could since the stick everything else really good...bad side ole verroa mite has about killed them out. they were first to go ten years ago when my dad had bees. lost a couple of hives and got out while the gettin was good. I ve lost my mind and got back in :) I am tracking some down this year. mom has a beebush they come to everyyear and I am going to try and find the nest...we have piles of trees around so its going to get sticky keeping up with them to find nest.