# European Dark bees?????



## concrete-bees (Jun 20, 2009)

i found this swarm and from what i can gather it is the European Dark Bee????

http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/sethsmith99/Swarm Pictures/


does anyone have the pros and cons of this gene???

i hived them on thursday - and checked them today - they have 6 frames completely drawn top to bottom side to side and both sides 

this put my packages this year to a new bar !!!!!!!

anyhow are these the dark bees that everyone hopes for as a survivor


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## Throttlebender (Mar 30, 2010)

I obviously wouldn't have an answer for you but that sounds impressive. And they just look hardy don't they? 

Please keep us updated about these.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Those look pretty much like mongrels...nothing wrong with that. My favorite bees don't have any pedigree.


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## beekeeper1756 (Mar 20, 2010)

WOW, those bees really are dark. Very interesting coloration. I like them. Hav eno idea what gene specie they are but fascinating colors and designs.


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## Fred Bee (May 5, 2007)

Nice picture...they look like Carniolan bees to me...but not sure.


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## knpeterson (May 18, 2009)

I caught a swarm about a week after you posted this and mine look very much like yours. I was surprised at how dark they are. There are several in my hive that are black but I think they are older since their wings are tattered. The queen is a very dark brown like the color of oil stained leather with some darker hard to see bands. I had actually been cruising the site looking for information to what they could be when I found your pic.


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## ehallspqr (May 2, 2010)

Those really look like the old German black bees brought into north american 200 years back. Stocky, shiny abdomin with little hair, dark brown with much black and that golden hair on the thorax. I visited a local apirary and the guy had several hives with bees that looked very similar to your photos. They where all caught in very remote areas of the olympic peninsula in an area with no beekeepers around for miles so he was pretty sure they where surviving ferrel native stock. He liked them but mentioned they where a little more aggressive. Thought that they had more mite resistance.

I have Carniolans and mine don't look anything like these although I suspect that mine are mixed with Italian. Great Photos!


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## concrete-bees (Jun 20, 2009)

yeah they are very cool color- they have build out 2 deeps in 3 weeks - 
they make wax like no other - kinda wish i had put them on med supers only - so that they can draw out some of the new foundation !!!!

im hoping to get several hives with her queen offsprings in them this year -- 

once i got that i might have some queens for sale next year - but id like to make sure of there genetics first


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## knpeterson (May 18, 2009)

Mine are building like crazy too! Much better than the Italians I got last year. I believe these are survivor stock since there are not many people at all in my area that keep bees. I know of a few people and they only have 1 hive and they are 30 miles from this spot. I'm thinking they have very good mite resistance as well. They are a little fiestier than the Italians were! But thats okay with me as long as they are working hard. I get grumpy too when I'm working hard  I just made a split from them yesterday. Can't wait to see how they make it through the winter!


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

concrete-bees said:


> i found this swarm and from what i can gather it is the European Dark Bee????
> 
> http://s260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/sethsmith99/Swarm Pictures/


My father-in-law's bees in France have a minimum of yellow in them. They are very dark.


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## d.tregarth (Aug 29, 2009)

Over here we call the black bees 'abeilles noires'. They are pretty typical of honeybees found in northern europe. They overwinter better, and are less productive than there italian cousins. (But these aren't those).


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

d.tregarth said:


> Over here we call the black bees 'abeilles noires'. They are pretty typical of honeybees found in northern europe. They overwinter better, and are less productive than there italian cousins. (But these aren't those).


La voila!


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## bobber128 (Jun 6, 2010)

My buddy had a swarm move into one of his empty hive boxes, and they are very dark like these. Another local beek thought they were a russian cross. Beautiful coloring, though... I really like it...


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## ehallspqr (May 2, 2010)

d.tregarth said:


> Over here we call the black bees 'abeilles noires'. They are pretty typical of honeybees found in northern europe. They overwinter better, and are less productive than there italian cousins. (But these aren't those).


Living in France you would probably know best. In the US we generally consider black bees as descendants of the black bees brought over from northern Europe hundreds of years ago. I'm sure that any black bees you find living out in the wild are by now thoroughly mixed with Italians, Carniolans etc. That said they do have some similarities with their European cousins.


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## jb63 (Jun 15, 2010)

How is their tempriment?


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## concrete-bees (Jun 20, 2009)

id say they are about the same as others - not to agressive but they let you know that you are out numbered


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