Carpathian bees: reviews, photos, characteristics

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Carpathian bees are one of the most popular breeds among Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian beekeepers. This variety received good reviews, first of all, for its high productivity, unpretentiousness and endurance. According to the main characteristics, the Carpathian bee resembles the Ukrainian one.

How to distinguish from other varieties

The Carpathian bee has been bred by beekeepers since ancient times. When and how it was bred is not known for certain. Some scientists consider this bee to be a branch of the carnica, others attribute it to one of the varieties of the Ukrainian steppe. Undoubtedly, only one thing - these insects have been living in the Carpathians for thousands of years. The breed is most widespread in the west of Ukraine, in the steppe and mountainous regions.

The gray color of the calf is what, first of all, the Carpathian bee is characterized by. The photo below demonstrates its somewhat unusual appearance clearly. In the anterior part of the abdomen of this bee there is a silver edge. The color of the uterus of the Carpathian breed can vary from dark gray to cherry.

Good reviewsThis variety received beekeepers, among other things, for its long proboscis (6.2-7 mm), which allows collecting nectar even from legumes. In size, this breed is slightly larger than the karnika. 110 mg - about the weight of a working adult Carpathian bee. The uterus of this variety is also not too big. Her weight can reach 185-205 mg.

Features of behavior

According to the majority of beekeepers, the Carpathian bee is one of the most calm and gentle breeds of all bred by man. During various operations in the hive, these insects do not show any aggression and nervousness. Most beekeepers do not even use smoke exposure when doing this work.

Compared to their relative karnika, also extremely popular, Carpathian bees are less prone to swarming. Even in the absence of a bribe in very early spring, when young individuals are ready for collection, the beekeeper usually does not have any problems. There is also no need to use any special equipment when breeding Carpathian bees. These insects are very unpretentious and independent. For successful breeding, it is enough to follow the basic technologies of beekeeping and use the standard set of beekeeper's tools.

Features of honey collection

The readiness to start work in early spring is one of the features that has gained immense popularity for the Carpathian bee. Beekeepers attribute to its advantages the ability to collect a large amount of nectar from poor honey plants. Even on plants with smallThis bee does not slow down in productivity with sugar content. The Carpathian variety also shows good results in terms of collecting nectar in the summer, easily switching from one honey plant to another. The signet itself of these bees is dry, of a pleasant light color.

The Carpathian bee, which has a good productivity characteristic, differs, however, in a certain tendency to steal. This makes it difficult to inspect families during the free period. Also, the minus of the variety is that insects practically do not work in bad weather.

Productivity Metrics

In terms of honey collection, according to most beekeepers, this breed is much superior to many others. The average productivity is 40 kg per family per year. At the same time, the honey of the Carpathian bees has very good taste characteristics. For some especially strong families, on good bribes, the yield of the product can be up to 80 kg per year. These bees produce propolis in very small quantities.

At the same time, wax bees can do a lot in a short period of time. As beekeepers note, Carpathian bees build honeycombs much faster than most other breeds.

Features of reproduction

This breed has earned good reviews from beekeepers, including for the ability to quickly replenish the family. The uterus of the Carpathian variety is capable of laying up to 1800-2000 eggs in just a day. She does this, unlike many other breeds, very carefully. That is, it distributes the eggs evenly over the combs, withoutpasses. This greatly facilitates care, since the beekeeper does not need to rearrange the frames as, for example, is recommended in beekeeping literature.

Carpathian bees: breed reviews

In addition to high productivity and peacefulness, the advantages of this variety include beekeepers and its high winter hardiness. The Carpathian bee can endure very low temperatures in the cold season without harm to itself. Also, judging by the reviews of beekeepers, the advantage of these insects is that they are not at all afraid of transportation.

Of course, the low tendency to swarm is also considered an advantage of the breed. Of course, this greatly facilitates the care of bees. During the season, no more than 2% of families from the entire apiary can swarm.

The ability to quickly adapt to changes in weather conditions is also what this breed has earned good reviews from beekeepers. Thanks to this feature, which is not very typical for bees in general, breeding of the Carpathian became possible not only in its homeland, Ukraine, but also in Belarus, Russia and other countries of the world.

In some areas, where there are no honey collections, this variety is kept specifically for pollination of vegetable crops in greenhouses. In this regard, judging by the reviews, Carpathian bees have also proven themselves very well, as they are distinguished by their activity and, thanks to their long proboscis, the ability to pollinate flowers of any shape.

Flaws

This bee has practically no cons. To some of its shortcomings, in addition to a tendency to steal,beekeepers attribute only the fact that she is not able to fight the wax moth on her own. Beekeepers have to keep a close eye on the hives and take appropriate action if necessary.

Despite the winter hardiness of the breed, most Russian beekeepers advise breeding this variety only in the southern regions of our country. The Carpathian bee tolerates winters well and does not reduce productivity even in a rather harsh climate. However, for example, in Siberia, it becomes much more aggressive and roiling. In this case, the answer to the question of which Carpathian or Central Russian bee is better is simple. Of course, the second variety is more suitable for the cold regions of our country.

Experienced beekeepers recommend to be extremely careful when buying Carpathian families. The fact is that today there are a lot of fakes on the market. Of course, ordinary, non-pedigree bees cannot give such good productivity indicators as the Carpathian bee.

In the spring, during the activation of the young, these insects do not swarm. However, instinct is instinct, and sometimes Carpathian bees also cause such problems to beekeepers. "Why do insects swarm?" - the answer to this question is simple. Either the bees simply don't have enough space in the hive and need to expand it, or they are bred in too cold, harsh climate.

Varieties of Carpathians

Selection work with this breed in the farms of the Carpathiansis ongoing. In addition, special protected areas are being created in Ukraine, into which the import of other varieties of bees is prohibited. For the entire period of breeding work, the breeders of this country have bred 10 lines of Carpathians. At the moment, the granddaughter variety has earned the best reviews from beekeepers.

The Maikop type of Carpathians is also characterized by beekeepers very well. The advantages of these bees include a very long proboscis and high egg production of the queen.

How to deal with wax moth

Carpathian bees are not too resistant to this disease. For beekeepers, moth is perhaps the worst enemy. After all, this is the only insect that can completely digest wax and products similar to it. The female moths lay their eggs in all the crevices of the hive and in the combs. At the same time, they envelop the entire bee brood with a dense cobweb. As a result, the Carpathians simply abandon the infected combs and start building new ones.

They fight against wax moths with the help of special tick-catching devices. You can scare away this pest from the hives by spreading brooms of wormwood, mint and wild rosemary around. Preventing moths from spreading to other families is easy by digging a groove around the infected hive and filling it with water.

Thus, despite minor shortcomings, judging by the reviews of beekeepers, the Carpathian bee can be safely attributed to one of the best breeds today. Breeding these insects is easy. In terms of honey collection, they are far superior to most other breeds. Determines the profitability of apiaries with Carpathian bees and the high rate of reproduction of insects.