Russian Queen Honey Bee

Most beekeepers in the United States have been using Italian Honey bees (Apis mellitera Ligustical) since their first introduction in 1859. The Italian Honey bee is known for their gentleness and excellent honey production making them the preferred honeybee among Beekeepers. In the late 1980’s two deadly parasites; Tracheal Mite and Varroa Mite were introduced to the United States and started taking their toll on the Italian honey bee. There were massive losses of colonies across the country which continues to threaten the Italian honey bee today. The majority of Beekeepers rely on pesticides to control these parasites, increasing the possibility of contaminating the honey and beeswax within the hive and leaving some question that these practices are harmful to honey bees.

The Russian honey bee was introduced to the United States in the 1990’s and the Russian Breeders Association was organized to maintain and improve the Russian honey bee lines here in the United States. There are eight certified breeders throughout the United States that follow very strict guidelines that protect the integrity of the Russian breed. Certified breeders stock must be tested and found genetically pure to maintain their certification as a Russian breeder. We do acuire our Russian Queens from certified Russian breeders.

There currently are many efforts being undertaken by many organizations to find a honey bee that is genetically resistant to these pests; the Varroa and Tracheal Mite and identifing the cause of the high faltality rate of Honey bee colonies across the United States. One effort taken on by the USDA honey bee research team led them to the far eastern side of Russia. The USDA research team found a strain of honey bee that has been exposed to the Varroa and Tracheal Mite for over 150 years. Thorough research on this particular honey bee concludes that this honey bee, known as the Russian honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) is twice as resistant to the Varroa Mite and highly resistant to the deadly Tracheal Mites.

We have found that the Russian honey bee survives the harsh winter conditions of Michigan very well, requiring substantially less winter honey storage than Italian honey bees. The adaptability of the Russian honey bee to over winter successfully in harsh winters and the combination of being resistant to two very deadly parasites, contribute to our low colony mortality rates relative to beekeepers that use Italian honey bees and chemical treatments. The resistance to Varroa and Tracheal Mites and the ability to survive harsh winters successfully allows us to incorporate organic methods in our yearly management of our colonies.

Varroa Mites feeding on a honey bee pupa

Italian Queen Honey Bee

Russian colony activity on a warm spring day

Mid-Atlantic Apriculture Research & Extension Consortium

Mid-Atlantic Apriculture Research
& Extension Consortium

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