# Black bottom bees



## Sarepta bees (Apr 16, 2010)

I have these too! I was told they are wild bees moving into my hives. Some hives have just a few and some have alot. I can tell they are more aggresive but the hives that have alot do well with honey storage so they must be good workers. I'm new at this so I'm curious what others have to say.


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## bee-have (Apr 16, 2010)

It seems like they "wild bees" were rejected by my hive. They were kicking them out of the hive, and stinging them to death. 

Interested also to see what happens.


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## Deer Slayer (Dec 14, 2009)

Could they be russian hybrids? There are more and more beekeepers with these bees. I also have them. They are a bit smaller than Italians and they are darker on the end of their abdomen without the pronounced banding.


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

I just picked up a swarm that look like this. Orange & black banding on 2/3 of the abdomen, but their little butts are solid black as are their heads & thorax. Also many are smaller than my packaged Italians.

Just settled them into a hive this morning, so no chance to gauge temperment yet. That's a job for this afternoon hopefully.


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

I heard that they are really good bees to have if your into producing alot of honey, they are hard workers! If i ever need a queen this is the queen im gonna get right here!!
Click on link and then click "here" to view photo if photo doesnt come up!
http://869789182725854870-a-mountai...wTiquyMF8MGGi5SHIoFxzXxXmXHw==&attredirects=0


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

can't view the pix. gets redirected.


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Isn't there a bee disease where a symptom is the abdomen being a reddish/chestnut brown and the end 1/3 of the abdomen is solid black? Or is my memory not working right?


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

These little bees look pretty healthy to me. Have the usual Italian stripes except for the bottom third of the abdomen. Haven't looked for the queen yet, but all the workers look like this. Very, very different from my blonde Cordies.


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

Try this site, you will see a queen called "Beautiful black queen bee!"


http://www.mountainstatequeens.com/


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

the ones I caught aren't as solid black as she is. More like the one worker immediately above her & to the left. first 2/3 of the abdomen is tiger striped, the bottom third pitch black.

But she is a pretty thing, isn't she?

Looking as a website about the European Dark Bee. Looks the most like what I have.


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

Yes they are nice and i heard they are hard workers that can produce the honey!!


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

I put the new girls on drawn deeps, so once they get settled in, time to throw on the honey supers! Would be nice to get some this year, even if it's just a taste.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

All of my hives have a percentage of these....
http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/blackbees.jpg


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

Very nice picture. Some of the larger bees look like this, but the little black butts are still different. Look at the orange & black striped bee in the center of the photo. Now imagine her with a black head & thorax, and the last three stripes down to her tail are solid black.

I gotta get a picture up....


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## devdog108 (May 7, 2009)

I have bees just like that. They are feral bees in a bee tree about 100 yards back in the woods. Theya re doing great, so I am leaving them alone, hoping for a swarm. Hoping for their genetics too!


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

FatBeeMan was in the chatroom last night & said his ferals have the black butts, too.

Yesterday while doing some observation, I saw a very large black bee flying around while the new girls were doing orientation flights. Now I'm wondering if that was the queen. I had put a brood frame in with them before I even brought them home and the deep is bursting with bees. I know I lost some, but this swarm had to be 6+ pounds.

I'm hoping to get some good genetics out of this bunch, too. Will probably wait until Wed/Thurs to see if the queen's actually there. The rest of the deep is drawn comb, so if there's activity in any of the other frames, she's definitely there.


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## devdog108 (May 7, 2009)

yes he does.....and they are black black..LOL


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

I have some black bees they are my favorite. I have split one hive three times this year so far and two of the hives have already made a surplus. I have let the black bees make three queens so far and they all have turned out black bees also. Even though they are open mated and I also have the regular colored bees in the other hives. I can really tell a difference in the attitude of the black bees, they work hard and are very gentle. The bees are also smaller than my other bees. I just gave a queeless nuc a frame of eggs from my black bees and hopefully they will raise a queen also.


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## kathygibson (Nov 3, 2009)

I saw this black beauty on my holly blossoms today. I don't have any bees that look like this. Are they similar?


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## devdog108 (May 7, 2009)

beautiful. Mine are not as orangy/yellow....they are almost all black. Sometimes u will see one that has stripes...but they are faint.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Are you gonna take me to your hive tonight?
Ah I can only use that red fire light
Are you gonna let them all fly out?
Black bottomed girls you make the swarming hive go round

Hey I was just a skinny keeper
Never knew no good from bad
But I knew love before I left my apairy
Left alone with big white suit
She was such a naughty queeny
Heap big woman you made a bad beekeeper out of me
Hey hey!

I've been singing with my band,
Across the wire across the land
I've seen every blue eyed floozy on the way
But their beauty and their style
Went kind of smooth after a while
Take me to them lovely ladies every time

Oh won't you take me to your hive tonight
Oh I will use your red firelight
Oh and you give it all you got
Black bottomed girls you make the swarming hive go round
Black bottomed girls you make the swarming hive go round



Hey listen here
Now your deeps and super
And the stiffness in your wings
Ain't no beauty queens in this locality (I tell you)
Oh but I still get my stings
Still got my greatest treasure
Heap big woman you made a honey boy out of me

Oh you gonna take me home tonight (Please)
Oh down beside that red firelight
Oh you gonna let it all hang out?
Black bottomed girls you make the swarming hive go round
Black bottomed girls you make the swarming hive go round
Get on your bikes and ride
Black bottomed girls
Black bottomed girls


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

My bees look more like the picture Ross posted. I really like them.


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

Husband came home & dug out the good camera.

First pix is one of the black butt bees. I've seen others with more solid butts than hers.









This is the same bee with one of her hivemates. More the usual Italian stripes.









Now I'm beginning to wonder if they're not just a genetic mutation as I saw varying degrees of striping and solid butts. 

Need to wait a few days before trying to find the queen. I'll see if I can get a photo of her, too.


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