BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 3 Jan 2019 22:50:47 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (17 lines)
Regarding Amm, Ruttner states:

Temperament

The behaviour of the Dark bee on the comb is nervous everywhere throughout the area of distribution. The bees never sit as quietly on the comb when removed from the hive as usually do Italians and Carniolans. They easily desert the comb completely and cluster on the edges, especially in cool temperatures. In warm conditions they usually run around if the hive is opened and are easily induced to leave the hive, a behaviour used by traditional beekeepers to "drive" the bees out of  the skeps to make artificial swarms, or when taking honey. in preference to "burning". 

Some strains are greatly irritated by even small amounts of smoke and have been seen to open sealed honey cells, instead of going to uncapped store cells when smoked. Gentle stocks are found to be much quieter on the combs, less liable to run, when handled without smoke. The tendency to sting is variable, some colonies being quite docile, others attack without being disturbed. The defensive behaviour of unhybridized colonies ranges from docile to rather aggressive. The tendency to sting is highly increased in hybrids with other races; this increase can even be taken as a measure of hybridization. The bad reputation of the Dark bee as being “aggressive” stems, to a great extent according to my experience, from the presence of hybrids in most parts of the native area.

Ruttner, F., Milner, E., & Dews, J. E. (2004). The dark European honeybee: Apis mellifera mellifera Linnaeus 1758. Writers Print Shop.

This certainly mirrors the colony I encountered: "run around if the hive is opened," "attack without being disturbed."

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

ATOM RSS1 RSS2