Genus Apis | Scientific name Apis mellifera cecropia Rank Subspecies | |
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Similar Western honey bee, Honey bee, Bee, Apis mellifera macedonica, Apis mellifera unicolor | ||
Apis mellifera cecropia or the Greek bee is the subspecies of honey bee that is native to southern Greece. It is very similar to Apis mellifera ligustica, the Italian bee. it is favored for its extreme gentleness and lack of tendency to swarm. However, if crossed with Apis mellifera mellifera (the northern dark bee) it is said that the offspring are very aggressive. The Greek bee originates in Greece where the climate is Mediterranean, and cannot survive in the north of Europe where the climate is cooler, and because of that they are not spread around the world much by commercial beekeepers. They are mainly only kept in southern Greece.
Life cycle
Greek bees generally tend to build up very quickly in the spring, and the queen lays lots of eggs which makes their hives considerably strong. They also tend to make quite a lot of honey, but only in Mediterranean climates.