Honey Bee Classification#
1 . What does Apis mean in Latin?
“bee-like”
2 . What does mellifera mean in Latin?
“honey”- honey loving bee
3 . What does the “L” stand for in Apis mellifera L?
Carolus Linnaeus - Swedish naturalist and explorer who was the first to frame principles for defining natural genera and species of organisms and to create a uniform system for naming them (binomial nomenclature).
4 . Honey bees live on every continent except?
Antarctica
5 . If Apis mellifera is the “western” honeybee, what is the name of the “Eastern” honeybee?
Apis cerana
6 . Is Apis mellifera native to North America?
No, imported to the US in 1622 on the coast of Virginia.
7 . The first bee introduced into the US was Apis mellifera mellifera. What is the common name for Apis mellifera mellifera?
German Black bee
8 . Why did the German black bee essentially disappear from the US in the late 19th century?
Tended to sting a lot
Susceptible to diseases- especially American foulbrood
Newer and “better” bees became available