Italian honey bee

The Italian honey bee (Apis mellifera ligustica) is a subspecies of the honey bee found throughout the Italian peninsula. The bees are light, from leathery yellow to almost lemon yellow, and moderately gentle. NC State calls them the favoured honey bee stock in the United States, where they arrived in 1859.

According to a whole-genome study by Minozzi and colleagues (University of Milan, CREA; Animals, 2021), the Italian bee adapted to the mild climate and rich flora of the peninsula. Genetic introgression from other stocks into ligustica is limited; in Sicily lives a separate subspecies, A. m. sicula. With Varroa and pesticides, the subspecies depends increasingly on human action, and the Buckfast bee has spread in Italy too.

Extended brood rearing lets a colony build up in spring and stay strong through summer; it overwinters well, and its swarming tendency is rated "OK". NC State describes its gentleness as moderate: it is less defensive than the German bee.

Why this matters to you. The Italian bee is recognised by its light colour and long brood rearing, which suits a honey flow. Imports of other subspecies into Italy are rising, so the purity of the subspecies cannot be taken for granted: the 2021 study found limited introgression but drew attention to the risk.