Bees are amazing insects that are extremely hardworking. Thanks to their efforts, people have the opportunity to get an incredibly valuable product - honey.
Quality honey is not in vain considered one of the most beneficial nutritional supplements for human health. Therefore, the maintenance of bees is a very important and honorable work. Species of these insects are different. In this article, we will consider one of the most hardworking breeds, whose honey has special health benefits.
Northern wild bee
Northern bee is a fairly well-known Russian breed.
Its habitat is Siberia and the Far East. It is found in the Altai Territory. You can also find the name of the insect: Central European, or dark forest. These are all the names of the same northern bee. Insects have been inhabiting cold regions for quite some time, and over all these years they have managed to adapt to difficult weather conditions. A distinctive feature of the northern climate is a very short summer. Bees have very little time to work, so they need to be surprisingly able-bodied in order to manage to collect pollen.
Features of this breed
Northern bee is one of the most productive breeds. The formation of this rock took place even during the ice age, so it is distinguished by its homogeneity.
What features distinguish a northern bee from other breeds:
- strong immunity, which has developed over the years of existence in extreme conditions;
- high fecundity of the uterus of this breed;
- high medicinal qualities of produced honey, which has a rich composition of useful ingredients;
- the ability of the bee to endure severe frosts and a long cold period of the year;
- productive use by bees of short time honey collection;
- economical feed consumption during the wintering period.
Reasons for the popularity of the northern bee
For its hard work, it is appreciated not only in Russia, but also among foreign beekeepers. Living in harsh climatic conditions has developed extraordinary viability in insects. In the northern apiaries, this type of bee is the best option for breeding. The natural high resistance of the northern bee to many diseases common among other types of these insect diseases allows beekeepers to save money on the purchase of special medicines. In turn, this makes it possible to obtain environmentally friendly honey, without the admixture of harmful chemicals.
Honey Harvest Features
At the first signs of spring warming, the northern bee begins vigorous activity. In a very short time of summer honey gathering, the industrious insect manages to collect a large amount of nectar. This makes it possible to make a sufficient supply of honey. This product has the ability to be stored for a long time without losing its healing qualities.
Little toilers use daylight saving time, laying out 100%. In this way they gained such popularity among beekeepers around the world. The honey collected for a short period of time is enough for bees to winter themselves, as well as share stocks with humans.
Bee wintering
Northern bee spends winter in the open. The hives that contain insects are covered with a thick layer of snow.
Snow cover allows bees to winter in harsh northern conditions. It is snow that protects bee hives from the cold and wind. The temperature in bee dwellings remains acceptable for a successful wintering. With a healthy condition of the inhabitants of the hives and sufficient supplies of honey, wintering should pass safely. Favorable is the fact that the bee family lives in isolation from the outside world, and therefore it is protected from many diseases characteristic of bees.
The northern breed of bees, in addition to all its obvious advantages, has some difficulties in caring for itself. One of the important tasks of the beekeeper is the need to monitor the condition of bees during wintering. But the harsh climatic conditions of the northern winters do not give the beekeeper such an opportunity. Due to the large layer of snow covered by the hives, there is no free access to bee dwellings. However, this disadvantage is compensated by the fact that in difficult conditions the bees have developed stable immunity, which prevents diseases from developing. The industriousness of these insects also allows you to accumulate sufficient reserves of honey for the entire period of wintering.
