[ericweller]

All,
I have to do a bee history talk in our bee school on Saturday. I am having several slides showing the modern bee species available and have a question on Russian Bees. What is the Russian Bee subspecies name?
African Bees are Apis Mellifera Scutellata and Italian Bees are Apis Mellifera Lingustica but I cannot find the subspecies name for Russians.
Does anyone know?
Thanks in advance!

 

[honeydrunkapiaries]

The Russian bees do not have a taxonomy per se. Originally I believe they were an Italian Honey bee, and being the first ones exposed to varroa have adopted traits to deal with it. However, Im sure one more knowledgeable might come along.

 

[Paul McCarty]

Are they not Apis Melliferia Primorsky? I don't know. They are a Cacausian hybrid.

There are also many other African breeds - A. M. Intermissa, A. M. Adonsaii, and A. M. Lamarckii, for example - all of which have been brought in our country in the past. The classic "Africanized" killer bee in pop culture is A. M. Scutellata.

 

[Michael Bush]

According to this:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.3103/S1068367413040241#page-1

They are A.m. sossimai stock that was then crossed with:
A.m. caucasica, A.m. ligustica, A.m. remipes, A.m. carpalica and A.m. carnica although they are often stated by many authors as either as A.m. carnica or A.m.caucasica.