Hi all
I don't know about you, but I receive automatic alerts when new papers come out that have to do with honey bees. Well, they don't always have to do with them, sometimes they are just mentioned at some point. But this one does. It also has a number of very interesting errors and misconceptions. I will let you read it first, (edited for brevity) and see for yourself. I can't help but point out one for openers, though. The publisher is cited  they review their own manuscripts and call it peer review.

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Achievements in the Life Sciences. Imprint: Far Eastern Federal University
Peer review under the responsibility of Far Eastern Federal University
Open Access funded by Far Eastern Federal University

Habitat of a Prikamsky Honeybee Population

Before the anthropogenic period, a Euro-Siberian sub-species of the honeybee, the Central Russian dark hylile bee (Apis mellifera mellifera L.), spread naturally over a large area from southern France to Siberia, reaching as far north as 60°N latitude ( Ruttner et al, 1990). This area expanded as the species moved north due to complex ethological and physiological adaptations to the cold climate zone ( Eskov, 1995).

Central Russian bees (A. m. mellifera) have been historically developed in natural biological communities on the Kama Cis-Ural territory. This finding was recorded by Mikhailov (1927) and Alpatov (1948). According to studies conducted by researchers in the Zoology Department of Perm Pedagogical University, Central Russian bees overwhelmingly dominated the Perm Territory previously. However, from the 1950s onwards, agricultural workers have been importing the queens and bee packages of southern races that were not adapted to the harsh conditions of the north area. The importation of these southern bees with the purpose of increasing productivity resulted if the emergence of hybrids of unknown origin. 

By the 1980s, cross-breeding of bees had reached 40% in some apiaries causing increased morbidity and the withdrawal of bee colonies in the winter. This process was aggravated by the mite Varroa destructor affect. To a lesser extent, the cross-breeding of bees influenced the Uinsky and Krasnovishersky areas, which had been declared as pure breeding areas of the Central Russian bees. The recruitment of honeybee populations in natural conditions (wild hive, hollows of trees, rocks, and other shelters) is performed because the bees disperse during swarming. In the late 20th century, a negative impact on the gene pool of the Central Russian bees caused by the introduced bees was observed. The conservation of the gene pool of Central Russian bees and the preservation of the indigenous forms of local Central Russian bee populations have been discussed in many publications ( Grankin, 1998 and Kryvtsov, 2008).

To preserve the bees of the Uinskoe Central Russian environmental group, a 5242 ha area was allocated for the landscape reserve “Raspberry Farm” (decree of the Governor No. 218 of 30.10.2002). “Raspberry Farm” is located in the Uinsky district of the Perm Territory along the Kameniy log brook on the border of two steppe regions: Tulvinsky and Irensky. Here, fir and linden forests and, occasionally, maple, elm and oak forests sprout. Also, aspen and birch forests with luxuriant herbs are common. The bees collect pollen from more than ninety species of herbs from early spring to late autumn. This is a unique place in the Ural region where wild honeybees of the Central Russian race live in a natural environment. There are a limited number of such sanctuaries, not only in the Urals but in Russia overall.

The advantages of the Prikamsky bee populations of the Kama Cis-Ural territory are as follows: They are winter-hardy. None of the existing races (subspecies) of honey bees are able to survive without play-flight during the 7-month winter. They are resistant to nosema disease, produce a large number of wax and well-built cells, and are capable of refilling the fodder reserves with short-intensive forage. They are able to produce a honey bag with up to 85 mg of nectar, and the average daily gains reach 21 kg. Swarming occurs during a short period of time in the middle of summer. Queens have a high fecundity.

Studies performed in the Kama Cis-Ural territory in 2009–2013 revealed that the Central Russian Prikamsky bee populations are 5–10 mg heavier than crossbred bees. The moisture percentage in the body of Prikamsky bees has an average of 5–7% lower than that of crossbred bees. It has been observed that winter bee generations have the lowest water content in the body: Prikamsky bee population — 64%, crossbred bees — 70%. The higher water content in the body of crossbred bees indicates that they remain active longer than the Prikamsky bee population. Significant activity of crossbred bees in the winter leads to high rates of rectum filling in March (45.3 ± 1.42 mg). The maximum load of the Central Russian race is lower in April (36.6 ± 1.62 mg). Slow and relatively low rectum filling is an adaptation to a prolonged winter period. Therefore, the gene pool of the Prikamsky population of Central Russian bees has a certain value and requires preservation for future generations.

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Comments

This is the very first time I have heard the idea that Apis mellifera mellifera is a "Euro-Siberian" bee called the "Central Russian dark" which spread west to France and east to Siberia, before people started moving bees around. Russians have long been known for rewriting history and now, science. The notion that bees of "southern races" cannot survive harsh winters has been disproved by the fact that Italian bees survive in Canada. In fact, the prevailing bee -- the Buckfast -- is a hybrid between Italian and the indigenous north European, and it was developed as an improvement over either of those two "pure races." Finally, they claim that their bees fill up with shit less than the southern bees. I was going use that as my subject line but thought better to wait till the end to call the paper full of shit.

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