More than thirty subspecies of the honey bee have been described worldwide. Some are widely used in beekeeping; most are local populations living in their own regions.

This page briefly covers subspecies not treated separately.

Europe and the Mediterranean

• Carpathian bee: Close to the Carniolan, from the Carpathian basin. Calm, frugal, winters well and builds up quickly in spring
• Iberian bee: From the Iberian peninsula. Adapted to hot, dry conditions; can be defensive
• Sicilian bee: A dark island population adapted to hot, arid conditions. Reduced by hybridisation and the subject of conservation work
• Maltese bee: A small island population under hybridisation pressure
• Macedonian bee: Of Balkan origin, close to the Carniolan group

The Middle East

• Syrian bee: Strongly adapted to hot, dry conditions. High swarming tendency and defensiveness; works with small colonies
• Cyprian bee: An island population known for marked defensiveness; heat tolerant
• Yemeni bee: Adapted to extreme heat and aridity. Builds small colonies with a marked tendency to abscond

Eastern Europe and Asia

• Russian lines: Selected from populations of the Far East that lived with Varroa for a long period. Marked mite tolerance is reported, which makes them valuable in breeding work
• Himalayan populations: Adapted to altitude; notable for flying in cold conditions

Africa

• Sub-Saharan subspecies: High rate of reproduction, strong defence, frequent swarming and absconding. Resilient to breaks in forage, and reported to cope better with Varroa
• North African subspecies: Adapted to a Mediterranean climate; drought tolerant

General assessment

Most of these subspecies are not widely used in beekeeping outside their own regions, because:

• They have been selected for a local climate and do not give the expected result elsewhere
• Some show marked defensiveness or a high swarming tendency
• Import is regulated in most countries

Conservation value

Local subspecies are a genetic pool. Traits such as Varroa tolerance and climate adaptation come from that pool.

Uncontrolled importing and hybridisation dilute it. Protected mating areas and pure-line breeding programmes are run in many countries for this reason.