Apis mellifera cecropia
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| Subspecies: | Apis mellifera cecropia Kiesenwetter, 1860
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Apis mellifera cecropia or the Greek bee is the subspecies of honey bee that is native to southern Greece.[1] It is very similar to Apis mellifera ligustica, the Italian bee. it is favored for its extreme gentleness and lack of tendency to swarm. However, if crossed with Apis mellifera mellifera (the northern dark bee) it is said[by whom?] that the offspring are very aggressive. The Greek bee originates in Greece where the climate is Mediterranean, and cannot survive in the north of Europe where the climate is cooler[citation needed], and because of that they are not spread around the world much by commercial beekeepers. They are mainly only kept in southern Greece.
Life cycle
Greek bees generally tend to build up very quickly in the spring, and the queen lays lots of eggs which makes their hives considerably strong. They also tend to make quite a lot of honey, but only in Mediterranean climates.
References
- ^ Crane, Eva (1999). The world history of beekeeping and honey hunting. Taylor and Francis. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-415-92467-2.
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