Around 20,000 species of bees have been described in the superfamily Apoidea. These all share a number of common traits that are unique to bees, and separate them from the rest of the Hymenoptera. While ants and wasps are carnivorous in at least some stage of their life cycle, bees are completely herbivorous, deriving all of their nutrition from the pollen and nectar of flowers (an exception to th
is is when, under nutritional stress, worker bees may kill and consume bee larvae, thus conserving the protein). The anatomy of the bee is superbly adapted for the collection of their food from flowers. Multiple species of bees are kept around the world. In some tropical regions of Africa, Australia, and the Americas, native stingless bees are kept for honey production. In Asia several species of Apis are utilized by people. But the western honey Bee, Apis mellifera, is the most common bee kept for honey and pollination around the world. Originating in Africa, the western honey bee spread across the entire continent and into Europe and the Middle East, occupying environmental niches. Over centuries in isolation, distinct races, or sub-species, of Apis mellifera adapted to specific regions and climates, and acquired recognizable differences in behavior, appearance, and disposition. Numerous races of the honey bee are recognized, and have been kept by people in many cultures throughout history. Each of the races of has genetic traits that are potentially desirable for beekeeping, such as honey production or disease resistance, and they may possess other traits that are less desirable, such as susceptibility to disease, or a highly defensive temperament. All of these races of honey bee are sub-types of a single species, and are capable of successfully interbreeding, resulting in hybrid bees types. Map of Europe and Africa with names of races of honey bees written on it in the area where the bees originated. History of honey bee production
While honey hunting for wild bees' nests was probably common throughout the ancient world, the Egyptians were among the first to attempt keeping bees in artificial hives. Barges loaded with colonies of Apis mellifera lamarkii would travel up and down the Nile River, following the seasonal abundance of flora. As beekeeping methods spread, most ancient cultures are known to have kept the bees that were endemic to their regions. As Europeans explored and colonized other parts of the globe, they have transported and established the western honey bee on every continent except Antarctica. When did honey bees arrive in the U.S.? These bees adapted and thrived in many places while in others, they succumbed to parasites and diseases originally adapted to other bee host species. In the early 1600s, English colonists brought hives of Apis mellifera mellifera to the Jamestown settlement. These bees thrived in the old growth forests of the New World, and spread west in advance of the pioneers. These bees were said to be easily excitable, "runny" on the combs, and susceptible to some diseases, however they overwintered well in cold climates. In the mid-19th century, the Italian race of bees, Apis mellifera lingustica, was imported to the U.S. and became the most popular race of domestic honey bee due to a gentle disposition and high honey production. Africanized honey bees
Bees adapted to conditions in Europe faced fewer predators than those in Africa. The cold winters of northern Europe encouraged bees to gather excess honey for winter food, and forced the bees to develop their overwintering strategy of clustering for warmth. These traits helped the honey bees to thrive in North America, but when they were imported to South America, they did not fare as well in the tropical environment. In an attempt to breed a productive honey bee that was adapted to a tropical climate, Brazilian scientists in 1956 imported colonies of Apis mellifera scutellata from Tanzania. In 1957, some of the bees escaped and bred with populations of European honey bees in Brazil. These hybrids became known as Africanized honey bees (AHB) and thrived in the tropical environment. They quickly spread and have since moved through Central America and Mexico, effectively replacing most of the European bee stock in these regions. In 1990 the first AHBs were detected in Texas. In 2005 they had entered Arkansas. Re-queening colonies with bees of known gentle European stock will be essential in maintaining beekeeping in Arkansas with the arrival of the AHB. Many races and hybrids of European honey bees are available for purchase in the U.S. There is no "perfect" honey bee for all locations, but the mixtures of traits that each type possesses can help the beekeeper choose a variety that may do well in a particular climate. Because honey bee stocks are constantly transported around the U.S. for sale and for pollination of crops, and because the mating behavior of honey bees takes place far outside of the hive, maintaining pure strains of any line of bees is practically impossible without instrumental insemination techniques or extremely isolated bee yards. The table at right compares some of the general characteristics associated with some of the common races of honey bees.
