The Maltese bee is an island population of the central Mediterranean, adapted to a warm, dry climate on a limited land area.

Characteristics

• Colour: Dark
• Size: Small
• Colony size: Moderate to small
• Heat tolerant

The island situation

A small island means two things at once.

Isolation: The population developed separately and carries adaptations not found elsewhere.

Vulnerability: A small population on a small area is quickly displaced. A single round of importation can change the genetics of an entire island.

Adaptations

• Tolerance of heat and drought
• Rapid response to dearth
• Frugal consumption
• Exploitation of short, scattered flow windows

The pressure from importation

As with many island populations, crossing with imported subspecies is the principal threat. On an island there is no hinterland into which pure lines can retreat.

This is why island populations often take priority in conservation programmes: the risk is greater and the time shorter.

Why it matters

Island populations are genetically isolated reservoirs. They carry combinations of traits that have been crossed out on the mainland.

When such a population disappears, what is lost is not one breed but a separate evolutionary line — and that cannot be bred back.

The general principle

Locally adapted lines generally perform better in their own region than imported ones. On an island this holds more strongly, because the conditions are more sharply defined.