Bashkir bee: features and description

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

The Bashkir breed of bees is considered one of the best types of dark insects. They are most widely used in European countries. They usually settle on the uplands in Russia. The name of the bees originates from the area where they are most often found.

Distinguishing Features

What makes the Bashkir bee stand out so much? Features of this species are that insects prefer to collect pollen from medicinal plants. The result is honey of the highest quality. In addition, this species has its own anatomical features. Insects of this species belong to the Central Russian bees. In its pure form, the breed has been preserved in certain regions of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The largest population is registered in the Shulgan-Tash nature reserve. Bees are kept in artificial hollows or boards. They can also live in beehives in apiaries.

Description

Let's take a closer look at this. The breed has a number of biological features. The bee possessesa body of dark gray color without signs of yellow coloring. Usually individuals have a fairly large size. Their proboscis is short and does not exceed 5.6 mm in size. Photos of the Bashkir bee clearly demonstrate all these features.

Insects of this species are extremely sensitive to weather conditions. Their performance directly depends on the ambient temperature. The first time they begin to fly around the surrounding area when the air warms up to 7 degrees.

The Bashkir wild bee is very sensitive to weather changes. During rain, individuals may even return to the hive. In extreme heat, bees are able not to leave their homes at all. They can be used to predict the weather perfectly, so beekeepers prefer to closely monitor the behavior of these insects.

Performance

This issue should be given special attention. How productive are Bashkir bees? Reviews of experienced beekeepers confirm that insects can work 17 hours a day. They like to collect nectar from buckwheat and linden, both from cultivated and wild plants. Honey turns out to be quite attractive in appearance.

With intensive work, the Bashkir bee is able to collect a large amount of product. However, compared to other bees, it takes quite a long time to get used to new honey plants. Insects tolerate winter time normally, you just need to provide them with a small amount of food.

The working day of the Bashkir bee starts at 5 am. Flying can continue until 10 pm. The bee collects especially abundantlynectar from monofloral honey collection. The discussed insects are capable of accumulating quite a lot of product in a short time. They build rather large cells with capacious and high-quality cells. This is due to their own dimensions. The bees also produce high quality propolis. The mother liquors, in comparison with the southern breeds, have rather thick walls. The insect is very industrious, so beekeepers are especially fond of this breed.

Flaws

But not everything is as rosy as it might seem at first glance. Sometimes the Bashkir bee behaves quite aggressively. Individuals extremely dislike when smoke is used to check hives. They can hide in the very depths of the hive. The uterus is quite difficult to replace with a new one. Bees are very strongly attached to the head of the family and in no way do not want to let her go. Therefore, it will not be possible to fully strengthen the bee colony before winter. Two queens simply cannot exist in the same hive. It is necessary to work with Bashkir bees only in overalls. They are very resilient and it is extremely difficult to get them back to work.

Honey differences

Today, many beekeepers prefer beekeeping. It is believed that the honey of wild bees is much he althier, it contains more wax and pollen. Within the framework of such a product will never work.

Bashkir bees give dark thick honey. This product is especially valuable because it contains a huge amount of useful substances. It is collected once a year. Honey does not contain harmful mixtures, has a pleasant aroma andtart taste.

A rare sight

It is extremely difficult to achieve purebred Bashkir bees. Queens of this species can fly over a distance of more than 5 km and are fertilized far from their habitat. For this reason, the Bashkir bee is listed in the Red Book. Beekeepers are doing their best to protect this species. For this purpose, an on-board system is used. This keeps the nests free from pests, parasites and animals.

Reviews of beekeepers

You should definitely listen to them. As experienced beekeepers say, the collection of honey by Bashkir bees is quite slow. Other breeds are capable of being more active. However, when the Bashkir bee finds nectar, it aggressively drives away the rest of the insects and begins to collect it as soon as possible.

With the onset of the honey harvesting season, other boxes in the hive may be filled with the product. At the same time, the nests remain dry all the time. You can safely grow brood there. In the process of evolution, the Bashkir bees developed the ability to store honey at the top. This feature is greatly appreciated by beekeepers, as their task is greatly facilitated. Honey can be pumped out without frames. It will be enough only special store extensions.

Bees endure winter with strong colonies. If there is not enough space, honey can spoil the early brood. An important advantage of this breed is also high-quality propolis. Southern breeds often mix this product with asph alt resin and feed. Bashkir bees harvest bee bread in largequantities. They are not prone to stealing. This disadvantage was not noticed in this breed even in the cold season. Working with them is quite simple.

As for the protective functions, the Bashkir bee is not able to protect its own nest. Other breeds often ruin them. However, when the beekeeper tries to inspect the nest with smoke, the bee can become very aggressive and restless. The bee immediately tries to fly away towards the light. Also, individuals can run down from the combs, hang on the frame or fall into the hive.

Queen of Bashkir bees

What do you need to know about them? As mentioned earlier, two queens of the Bashkir breed cannot exist in one nest. If an individual is seen on the comb during inspection, which does not lay eggs, but simply constantly jumps from side to side and runs along the frame, then most likely it is going to leave the hive. With a long absence of the uterus, the bees do not immediately turn into tinders. Quiet change is impossible for this breed. Individuals are highly irritable and embittered. It is imperative that the beekeeper wears a special protective suit when working in the apiary.

One of the most important stages of breeding work is the regular replacement of old queens. We are talking about individuals of two years of age. When changing them, it is necessary to solve the problem of swarming. This is a feature that the Bashkir bee exhibits. Breeding queens for this breed is quite difficult. Families with juveniles usually do not swarm. Highly productive strong families can be obtainedonly from thoroughbred queens. In order to obtain homogeneous indicators in bee colonies, it is important to observe the uniformity of insects in terms of fecundity. This is precisely the main task of selection and breeding work. Only high quality queens are able to pass on good hereditary characteristics to their offspring. Beekeepers need them primarily for the reproduction and expansion of apiaries.

Tendency to swarm

What do you need to know about this? The Bashkir breed is distinguished by high swarming. At the same time in the apiary, 70% of individuals can immediately go into such a state. You can reduce swarming by taking some timely measures. For example, experienced beekeepers recommend keeping insects in special large hives. It is also worth taking care of expanding the nests in a timely manner. These methods allow for moderate swarming. As a rule, the Bashkir bee is activated in the spring, during the flowering of the maple. At this time, the weather can be cloudy and insects do not fly. It is quite difficult to work with the Bashkir breed because of such a tendency to swarm.

Conclusion

The Bashkir bee is especially appreciated by experts for its resistance to winter and productivity. Insects produce honey of the highest quality. Under all conditions, caring for this species is quite simple. However, this breed also has its drawbacks: Bashkir bees are aggressive and prone to swarming.