| Maltese honey bee | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Apis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | A. m. ruttneri |
| Trinomial name | |
| Apis mellifera ruttneri Sheppard, Arias, Grech & Meixner, 1997 [1] | |
The Maltese honey bee, Apis mellifera ruttneri, is a subspecies of the western honey bee, endemic to the Maltese islands which are situated in the Mediterranean Sea. [2]
The A. m. ruttneri evolved into a distinct subspecies when the Maltese islands were cut off from Sicily [3] at the end of the last ice age, belonging to the A Lineage of Apis mellifera and therefore being more closely related to African lineage rather than to the European C Lineage. [4] [5] The production of honey by the Maltese bee has likely contributed to the islands name as the ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη (Melitē) meaning "honey-sweet". [6]
The bee is of relatively dark colour and has shown an ability to defend itself against local predacious wasps, a behavior also reported in the related A. m. sicula, but not observed in imported A. m. ligustica bees. It was also observed to abscond during times of dearth and produce large numbers of queen cells prior to swarming (up to 80). [2]
In a comparison study on the island of Malta against the A. m. ligustica, the A. m. ruttneri showed significantly greater tolerance (all the A. m. ruttneri hives were still alive after 23 months, while all the A. m. ligustica hives died within a year) and resistance (by measuring the Hygienic trait with a Pin Test, the A. m. ruttneri had 50% higher results) towards the Varroa destructor mite. Also the A. m. ruttneri produced over three times the yield of honey when compared to the A. m. ligustica bees during the late season. [7] [8] However the A. m. ruttneri was observed to be more aggressive and less calm on the comb during inspections, and they appeared to continue to rear brood and maintain a higher population during the winters months on Malta. [9]
The subspecies is named after Professor Friedrich Ruttner, an expert in honey bee queen breeding and also in the intra-specific taxonomy of the Apis mellifera. [10] It is considered as making a comeback after Varroa was introduced to Malta in the early 1990s. [11] At that time colonies of bees from abroad were imported to compensate for the loss of colonies.[ citation needed ] In 1997 it was confirmed as a distinct subspecies through DNA analysis, previously morphometric wing analysis had been used. [12] In 2022, it was reported that 70% of the Maltese colonies were destroyed by the Oriental hornet. [13] On February 2024, a public consulation has been opened to declare the Maltese honey bee as the national insect of malta, an initiative that was proposed by the Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honey Bee. [14]
In 2022 a foundation was set up to help in the conservation and promotion of the A. m. ruttneri. The organization aims for the A. m. ruttneri to be recognized in terms of Malta's sustainable apiculture, ecology" and natural heritage: To encourage research and breeding, and to co-ordinate various entities interested in the Maltese honeybee’s conservation, as well as "To emphasise the importance of legislation that would protect the Maltese Honeybee in a holistic way". They oppose the importation of other bees into Malta stating that the "Maltese bee (A. m. ruttneri) is being polluted by honey bees of foreign breeds being imported into our country". [15] [16] They have published a document indicating the benefits of rearing the local bee versus foreign ones [17] and in summer 2023 they published a legal paper regarding the Maltese and European laws related to the genetic protection of the endemic Maltese honey bee. [18] Currently, this foundation is exerting pressure on the local environmental authority (ERA) to declare the Maltese honey as the national insect of Malta. [19]
A honey bee is a eusocial flying insect within the genus Apis of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosmopolitan distribution of honey bees, introducing multiple subspecies into South America, North America, and Australia.
Within biological taxonomy, a honey bee race would be an informal rank in the taxonomic hierarchy, below the level of subspecies. It has been used as a higher rank than strain, with several strains making up one race. Therefore, a strain is a lower-level taxonomic rank used at the intraspecific level within a race of a subspecies. Strains are often seen as inherently artificial concepts, more usually within biology as characterized by a specific intent for genetic isolation, however, within beekeeping circles, strain is more likely to be used to describe very minor differences throughout the same subspecies, such as the color ranges of A. m. carnica from brown to grey. Within A. m. ligustica there are two races, the darker leather brown northern Italian bee from the Ligurian Alps region which was discovered to be resistant to acarine in the 1900s, while the other Italian bee race, from regions near Bologna and further south, was highly susceptible to acarine and within this race there are two color strains, the traditional Italian yellow and a rarer all-golden color.
The European dark bee is a subspecies of the western honey bee, evolving in central Asia, with a proposed origin of the Tien Shan Mountains and later migrating into eastern and then northern Europe after the last ice age from 9,000BC onwards. Its original range included the southern Urals in Russia and stretched through northern Europe and down to the Pyrenees. They are one of the two members of the 'M' lineage of Apis mellifera, the other being in western China. Traditionally they were called the Black German Bee, although they are now considered endangered in Germany. However today they are more likely to be called after the geographic / political region in which they live such as the British Black Bee, the Native Irish Honey Bee, the Cornish Black Bee and the Nordic Brown Bee, even though they are all the same subspecies, with the word "native" often inserted by local beekeepers, even in places where the bee is an introduced foreign species. It was domesticated in Europe and hives were brought to North America in the colonial era in 1622 where they were referred to as the English Fly by the Native Americans.
Apis mellifera ligustica is the Italian bee which is a subspecies of the western honey bee.
Varroa jacobsoni is a species of mite that parasitises Apis cerana. The more damaging Varroa destructor was previously included under the name V. jacobsoni, but the two species can be separated on the basis of the DNA sequence of the cytochrome oxidase I gene in the mitochondrial DNA.
Apis koschevnikovi, Koschevnikov's honey bee, is a species of honey bee which inhabits Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo, where it lives sympatrically with other honey bee species such as Apis cerana.
The Macedonian bee is a subspecies of the Western honey bee. It is found mainly in Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Northern Greece and other places in the Balkans as well. Originally this subspecies was described based on morphological characteristics by Friedrich Ruttner, as were the adami, cecropia and cypria subspecies.
Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) is a behavioral trait of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in which bees detect and remove bee pupae that are infested by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. V. destructor is considered to be the most dangerous pest problem for honey bees worldwide. VSH activity results in significant resistance to the mites.
Beekeeping is first recorded in Ireland in the seventh century. It has seen a surge in popularity in modern times, with the membership of beekeeping associations exceeding 4,500. The median average number of hives per beekeeper is three hives, while the average honey output per hive is 11.4 kg. The growth in the practice has occurred despite increased pressures on bees and beekeepers due to parasites, diseases and habitat loss.
Apis mellifera cypria(Cyprus honey bee) is a subspecies of the Western honey bee. Its habitat is the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Apis mellifera anatoliaca is a subspecies of Apis mellifera.
Friedrich Ruttner was an Austrian SA-member, NSDAP member, SS-physician, neurologist, zoologist and bee expert. He became internationally known for his advances in honey bee breeding, instrumental insemination, classification of various subspecies and as a co-founder of Apidologie.
The Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese honey bee is a Maltese non-governmental organisation aimed at the protection and conservation of the Maltese honey bee, a subspecies of the western honey bee.
Apis mellifera artemisia is the Russian steppe honey bee, first identified in 1999 near Kyiv, Ukraine, by only one specimen, but by 2011 its taxonomic status had been called into question, although to date no DNA analysis has been conducted: At the same time the taxonomic status of the Apis mellifera ruttneri on Malta was also called into question, however in 2017 it was confirmed that Apis mellifera ruttneri was a new and separate subspecies.
Apis mellifera pomonella, the Tien Shan honey bee, is a subspecies of Apis mellifera which is claimed to be the endemic honey bee of the Tien Shan Mountains in Central Asia. It is a relatively large bee, only slightly smaller than Apis mellifera carnica, in general very similar in appearance to Apis mellifera anatoliaca, but with comparatively short hair and short mouthparts.
Apis mellifera unicolor is known by the common name of the Madagascar honey bee, sometimes also called the Malagasy honey bee,, it is endemic to the island of Madagascar.
Apis mellifera syriaca is known by the common name of the Syrian honey bee, sometimes also called the Palestine honey bee.
A drone congregation area is an aerial region where honeybee drones and virgin queens gather to mate.
Varroa underwoodi is a mite that feeds on honey bees. It is an external parasite of the western honey bee, Asian honey bee, A. nigrocincta, and A. nuluensisV. underwoodi has been found on multiple bee species in Southern Asia, though has only been found on the Asian honey bee in China. The smallest sized V. underwoodi was collected from Papua New Guinea from western honey bee hives.
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