Content
- 1 Description of the Central Russian bee breed
- 2 Disease resistance
- 3 Recommended regions for breeding
- 4 Breed productivity
- 5 Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
- 6 Features of reproduction
- 7 Features of breeding Central Russian bees
- 8 Content Tips
- 9 What problems do beekeepers face when breeding bees?
- 10 Conclusion
The Central Russian bee lives in Russia. Sometimes it can be found in adjacent, neighboring territories. There are purebred insects in Bashkortostan, where untouched forests have been preserved near the Ural Mountains. There is a reserve for the natural habitat of this breed. Thanks to their biological characteristics, Central Russian honey bees became the progenitors of varieties that develop well and winter in the northern regions of the country.
Description of the Central Russian bee breed
The breed is characterized by the following features:
- Large insect, weight 110-210 mg.
- Solid dark gray color without yellow or red.
- The length of the proboscis is 6-6.4 mm.
- Bees are shaggy, hairs are 5 mm long.
- They are distinguished by wide legs and a high cubital index.
- Families are playful. A swarm can include up to 70% of bees with two-year-old queens.
- They are distinguished by their evil disposition and aggressiveness.
- They winter from mid-autumn to early May.
- Feed consumption for wintering is 1 kg per street.
- A small amount of propolis is observed in the nests.
- The honeycombs formed by Central Russian bees do not have membranes.
- Easily adapt to northern climates.
- They have high immunity and rarely get sick.
- Insects are able to work at temperatures from + 10-40 ° C.
- Not capable of stealing honey. They poorly protect their reserves.
The external features of the Central Russian bee can only be seen in a close-up photo.
How do Central Russian bees behave?
A distinctive feature of the Central Russian breed is activity when inspecting the nest. When the frame is pulled out of the hive, they run down. They hang in clusters on the bar. At the same time, they behave very excitedly, take off, and quickly move around the cell. The queen is not easy to find. She tries to get to the other side of the frame. Hides in a club of other bees.
This activity makes it difficult to work with them. When there is no honey collection, even personal protective equipment does not help against bites: a face mask, a robe. Smoke treatment does not give positive results.
How do they cope with wintering?
Northern bees prepare for winter early. The queen stops laying eggs. The whole family goes to the club. The concentration of carbon dioxide in it is about 4%. Due to such high rates, the club manages to minimize the metabolic rate, thereby saving energy.
Winter peace is reliable. Even short-term thaws or sudden increases in temperature will not provoke the queen to lay eggs prematurely. In cold winter conditions, waking up early is detrimental to bees.
The Central Russian breed begins to awaken later than the other subspecies. Spring development begins when the temperature becomes completely warm and the threat of frost has passed. However, it occurs more intensely due to the active process of oviposition.
What qualities does honey have?
The finished honey is sealed with wax caps. Thus, an air gap appears between the wax and the liquid product, space for ventilation. At the same time, the honeycombs remain dry. And they are wet when the honey directly comes into contact with the wax seal. Then the bee product has high humidity and a characteristic shine.
The honey of the old Russian breed of bees is always dry and the signet is white. This distinctive feature is characteristic only of this subtype.
Disease resistance
Insects of the Central Russian breed are extremely rarely subject to nosematosis and honeydew toxicosis. Waste during the spring-autumn period is only 3-5%. This is in good condition. Some beekeepers working on the breed achieve 100% safety. The main enemy of Old Russian bees is varroatosis, infection with the Varroadestructor mite.
Recommended regions for breeding
The formation of the Central Russian bee breed began in typical forest conditions. Initially, the territory of the Eastern Urals was developed by insects. Later, with the help of people, the range expanded further. Two centuries ago, the variety appeared in Siberia.
The development of the breed in difficult climatic conditions influenced the further ability of insects to survive, cold resistance, and disease resistance. Hot countries are not suitable for its breeding. As the bees become unproductive, their immunity decreases, they weaken and die.
Breed productivity
Bees of the Central Russian breed are distinguished by high productivity and efficiency.They work all day, not paying attention to the weather. They collect nectar in the summer heat or during the cool spring. Unsuitable conditions for insects are wind and heavy rain.
Maximum productivity from bees of the Central Russian breed can be obtained if fireweed, linden, buckwheat, maple, acacia, and willow grow nearby. Honey activity lasts from May to July. The amount of honey gradually increases from 10-30 kg. Starting from August, productivity decreases by 3 kg monthly. This is due to the partial absence of honey vegetation. The average honey collected from a family during the summer is 90 kg.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
The photo shows a Central Russian breed, which is in demand in beekeeping due to the following qualities:
- disease resistance;
- in the presence of scanty honey yield, insects are able to feed the whole family;
- quick collection of nectar;
- queen fertility;
- low feed consumption during wintering;
- intensive development in spring;
- valuable qualities of honey.
Flaws:
- Rancor and aggressiveness. If a beekeeper does not manage the beekeeping properly, the insects react violently and sting the person.
- It is necessary to pay attention to swarming.
- They switch poorly from one honey plant to another.
- In forbs, they are inferior to other species in collecting nectar.
Features of reproduction
The Central Russian bee has a weak genotype. As a result of crossing it with other varieties, weak offspring are obtained. According to certification carried out by the Beekeeping Research Institute and the All-Russian Animal Husbandry Research Institute in 2011, this breed is the smallest. There are a total of 30 subspecies of the Central Russian bee.
Honey insects reproduce well.Under favorable conditions, the queen is capable of laying 1500-2000 eggs per day. Accordingly, the number of families is rapidly increasing. Such active fertility of a bee lasts for 3-4 years in a row, after which the indicators noticeably decrease and finally fall in the 7th year.
Features of breeding Central Russian bees
You can place an apiary with bees of the Central Russian breed throughout the entire territory of Russia, with the exception of the Far North. It is preferable that it be as close as possible to the honey collection. The distance between the apiary and the field should be no more than 2 m.
The instinct of bees is sharpened to quickly search for honey. It is collected until the end of July. Insects of the Central Russian breed are not picky; they pollinate buckwheat and linden, but do not fly long distances in search of other plants.
The hive of this breed does not differ significantly from others. However, social organization has its differences:
- During the period of active plant pollination, the queen limits the number of eggs she lays, allowing more bees to be involved in the process.
- When the number of inflorescences decreases, the individuals that do not collect honey begin preparing for wintering.
In the southern regions, evidence is placed in the shade; in cold areas, on the contrary, in the sun. It is undesirable for the apiary to be adjacent to livestock farms, ponds, fields of cereals, and coniferous forests. According to studies, mobile evidence that changes location several times during the season brings 2 times more honey than stationary ones.
Content Tips
Working with bees requires the use of a protective suit, especially if the beekeeper is a beginner. Bees can sting if not handled correctly. The Central Russian breed does not tolerate careless management.Also, sensing danger, insects may attack.
If it is not possible to transport them, then care should be taken to insulate them.
When making honey, insects deposit nectar in the storehouse and brood part. You cannot pump out honey from two parts at the same time. There is a possibility of leaving the brood without food in winter.
What problems do beekeepers face when breeding bees?
The main difficulties and problems that often arise on the path of a beekeeper:
- You should not buy bee packages of Central Russian bees on the Internet from unknown suppliers. It is important that the beekeeper is experienced, can advise if necessary and vouch for the quality of the breed.
- Aggressiveness of insects. It appears due to improper care or inexperience of the beekeeper. If bees see confidence in actions, they will be less angry.
- Swarming of the rock. It is quite difficult to switch bees from swarming to work. During this period, insects forget about the brood, stop building honeycombs, and do not effectively use honey collection.
Conclusion
During the period of evolution, the Central Russian bee acquired distinctive features. First of all, survival during long wintering. This quality is due to its natural habitat. Equally important is the presence of good immunity and the ability to collect nectar in short summer conditions. It is not surprising that foreign beekeepers are interested in this subtype.
