The Nordic brown bee
Conservation of the Nordic brown bee
NordGen will start an intensive project to clarify the current status of the Nordic brown bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Also, the current in situ and ex situ conservation of A. m. mellifera and suggestions for future research activities will be published. The work will be carried out between May and December 2012. The responsible organization of this work is MTT Agrifood Research Finland, and the project will be administered by an ad hoc -group comprising of specialists from each Nordic country and Latvia.
The Nordic brown bee was earlier the most widespread bee in the world. It was present from the Alps to the Nordic countries and from the British Isles to Russia. Following expansion of its range, it has developed into a number of local lines. At present, A. m. mellifera
is heavily hybridized and has become extinct in many European countries. Currently, the Nordic brown bee does not have a large commercial significance. Some colonies are very "runny" on the comb and relatively aggressive and defensive. However, the breed displays excellent characters, such as significant winter hardiness, strong drive to collect pollen, high longevity of the worker bees and the queen, and flight strength even in cold weather. Additionally, the ability to stand high mineral contents in winter feed is an exceptional genetic adaptation to Calluna
vegetation along the Atlantic coastline. The high plasticity has made it possible for A. m. mellifera
to occupy also the extremely continental Ural regions. Even though populations of the brown bee are present in all Nordic countries, the species is considered as endangered.
For further information of the project, please contact:
Anne Præbel,
anne.praebel@nordgen.org
or
Lauri Ruottinen,
lauri.ruottinen@mtt.fi
(Photo: Janne Nurminen)
