DSC_1239 Black honey bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) a worker bee from a wild hive. This subspecies of the Western honeybee is now uncommon on NZ, although it can still be found in some regions. It more closely resembles the Old English 'black' bees first introduced into New Zealand back in 1839. Currently 'Italian' honeybees are the more widely distributed of the modern domesticated strains in New Zealand. Dunedin *
DSC_1051 Italian honey bee (Apis mellifera ligustica ) worker bee from a modern hive. 'Italian' bees are a subspecies of the western honey bee. Honey bees - probably Old English 'black' bees (Apis mellifera mellifera), were first introduced into New Zealand in 1839. The Italian honeybee is thought to originate from the continental part of Italy, south of the Alps, and north of Sicily, and is a subspecies which possibly survived the last Ice Age in Italy. It is now the most widely distributed of all honey bees. Dunedin *
DSC_4760 DSC_8318 Italian honey bee (Apis mellifera ligustica ) a worker bee from a domestic hive gathering nectar from blackberry flowers. 'Italian' bees are a subspecies of the western honey bee. Honey bees - probably Old English 'black' bees (Apis mellifera mellifera), were first introduced into New Zealand in 1839. The Italian honeybee is thought to originate from the continental part of Italy, south of the Alps, and north of Sicily, and is a subspecies which possibly survived the last Ice Age in Italy. It is now the most widely distributed of all honey bees. Auckland *
