Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bee"
The Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bee" emerged in the Primorsky Province of Eastern Russia where they are believed to have arrived in the late 1800s with Ukrainian settlers from Europe who moved east bringing with them western bees.
During the Soviet era exchanges between beekeeping cooperatives and breeding centers were quite common making the bee population rather diverse. A well-known Russian bee scientist, G.D. Bilash, considers the bees of Eastern Russia to be a mix of bees from the Ukraine, Middle Russia and to a smaller extent Caucasian and Italian.
The current Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bee" is best described as a "selected stock" of the species Apis mellifera. Some consider it descended from Apis mellifera carnica stock and others from Apis mellifera macedonica stock. There are no known records to establish the Russian bee's original source. Modern DNA analysis can determine whether a bee is a Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bee" or not.
Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bees" have continued to impress researchers who consider them capable of deflecting three of the honey bee’s worst assailants: varroa mites, tracheal mites and cold temperatures. The popularity of the Russian bees is increasing, especially among those concerned about using miticides in the hive.
The Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bee" evolved traits resistant to natural mites owing to heavy selection pressures having existed for more than 150 years in a region that is home to the varroa mite and the tracheal mites are therefore likely to be the stock of Apis mellifera with the longest exposure to varroa anywhere in the world. Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bees" are fastidious and agile groomers, capable of using their middle pair of legs to brush mites away. In tests, varroa mite reproduction on Far Eastern Stock "Russian Bees" was two to three times lower than domestic breeds.
Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bees" show exceptional winter hardiness, hibernating in small winter clusters and being more frugal with their winter food stores. They buildup rapidly after pollen is available and produce a high nectar haul per bee during favorable summer months.
The Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bee" is dark and resembles the Carniolan strain. They use less propolis than the typical Italian bee. They are not prone to sting, but on occasion may demonstrate defensive behavior in the spring or in poor weather conditions. Russian bees are more apt to building queen cells throughout the brood season and may exhibit a higher tendency to swarm. This higher tendency to swarm is considered another of the characteristics attributable to the varroa mite resistance found in Far-Eastern Stock "Russian Bee".
If a colony loses its queen, though swarming, supersedure or death, it must be requeened with a pure Far-Eastern Stock queen to maintain the desirable traits which can be lost through mating with other stocks of bees.
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