Apis mellifera

Classification and Distribution

The European bee (Apis mellifera), also known as a domestic bee or a melifera bee, is a species of bee in the Apidae family. It is the most widely distributed bee in the world, originally from Europe, Africa, and part of Asia.

Origin and Spread

It is believed that this species originated in Africa or Asia and spread through Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Human beings have extended their range, introducing European subspecies in North America (further north than its original range) and Oceania.

Scientific Name

The genus Apis is the Latin name corresponding to the word "bee", and the word mellifera is derived from the Latin words melli- meaning "honey" and ferre meaning "to carry". This name was coined by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758, but when he realized that bees do not carry honey, but rather nectar, he tried to correct the name later in a subsequent publication to become Apis mellifica (meaning "bee producing honey"). However, according to the rules of homonymy in zoological nomenclature, priority is given to the older name.

Genome and Research

As of October 28, 2006, the Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium had sequenced and analyzed the genome of the Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera. In 2007, media attention focused on the phenomenon of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a decline in European honey bee colonies in a few regions of North America.

Importance

This species is considered the foundation of commercial honey production, with four subspecies used intensively by humans: Apis mellifera, Apis florea, Apis cerana, and Apis dorsata. Of the 20,000 bees known around the world, only 11 species collect and store honey.

Natural Range

The natural range of Apis mellifera was the Mediterranean region, but human activity has extended its range to other parts of the world.