CAUCASIAN Queen Bees (Apis Mellifera Caucasica)
Caucasian Queen Bees comes from the high valleys of the central Caucasus (Georgia). It has similar characteristics to the Carniolan (Carnica) bee, but unlike this one it has a low propensity to swarm.
The main characteristics of the Caucasian bee are:
raising strong colonies, but later than the other races.
overwinters well
they fly earlier and in cooler conditions
gentle and calm on the comb
low tendency to rob honey
very great user of propolis
endowed with the longest tongue and take advantage of the nectar sources inaccessible to other races.
very prolific – raising strong colonies
colonies reach full strength in mid-summer, which is good for areas where the highest nectar flow is in mid-summer
To reduce the propensity for abundant propolis harvesting (which in certain areas can make the visit of the hives difficult) and to anticipate spring development, our Caucasian bees are fertilized by Buckfast drones.