Not sure what breed is best for you? Read below for the main characteristics of each breed.
Saskatraz – Customer Favorite:
- Known for excellent honey production
- Good wintering ability
- Selected for increased varroa tolerance and resistance to brood diseases
- Show increased hygienic behavior
Italian:
- Calm and gentle
- Easy to manage
- Strong
- Great honey production
- Great for all environments
- Known brood producers
- Highly hygienic
- Excellent foragers
- Excellent honey producers
Southern Italian:
- High productivity and honey creation
- Focuses on raising brood
- One of the gentlest and most docile of the bee subspecies
- Readily builds comb
- Wonderful foragers
- Less tendency to swarm than other subspecies
- Strong cleaning behaviors
- Great for areas with continuous nectar flow and favorable weather throughout the summer
Carniolan:
- Mostly gentle
- Good choice for colder climates
- More likely to forage on cool, wet days than other bees
- Excellent honey production
- Quick to brood up when nectar is available
Russian:
- More resistant to varroa
- Highly resistant to tracheal mites
- Rear their brood during times of pollen availability
- Low likelihood of robbing
Russian Hybrid:
- Excellent at wintering
- Resistant to varroa and tracheal mites
- High honey yield – same or better than Italian bees
- Can rear massive amounts of brood in short times to closely follow times of nectar and pollen flow
- Constantly maintains several supersedure queen cells for immediate queen replacement if the hive loses its current queen
Courtesy of Mann Lake Ltd.