A. m. mellifera ( mellifica to some) is alive and well, and ALWAYS has
been.

It is the prevalent black bee of Northern Europe, found widespread from
the Pyrenees well into Russia. Feral populations exist in many other
countries too, amongst them being USA, and New Zealand. Some Pacific
islands are reputed to have relict populations of the original British
black bee present, in others it is the French or German version.

What I am sure is being talked about is the British variant largely
wiped out in the Isle of Wight disease epidemic early in the 20th
century.

The idea that it was totally extinct is nowadays questioned by a LOT of
people. (With apologies to Bro. Adam adherants, who can be pretty quick
with the flames.)

Bees closely resembling the old bee are now found in many parts of the
UK. One possible scenario is that the black bee did not die out before
the relict population had a chance to mate with the virgins of the new
strains brought in to replace the losses. Over the passing decades there
has been a combination of convergent selection for beneficial traits,
plus a crystallisation of the genetic material just from selection
towards those bees best equipped to the British conditions.

Thus the strain may have died out, but it probably passed on its genes
just before it did, and today the better genes have gradually come back
to the fore. Some of the poor characteristics like lack of acarine
resistance have largely gone, naturally selected away from.

So today the so called native 'mongrel' is approaching the old bee but
with a genetic make up subtly altered to cope with the prevailing
circumstances. In some areas it is so close as to match all the old text
book descriptions.

Murray

--
Murray McGregor