VIDEO Unique Insect: The Maltese Honey Bee

[MalteseHoneyBee]

What do you know about the Maltese Honey Bee, Apis mellifera ruttneri? Its unique biodiversity? Its historical connection to the Maltese islands?⚠️ The challenges it faces? Its future prospects?This production delves into these aspects and more!

https://youtu.be/tVFkQkgPEhc

[Ben Framed]

Interesting. Thanks. And welcome to Beemaster!

Phillip

[MalteseHoneyBee]

Interesting. Thanks. And welcome to Beemaster!

Phillip

thank you :D

[The15thMember]

Welcome to Beemaster, MalteseHoneyBee!    Looks like a very interesting video.  I'm looking forward to watching it.

[MalteseHoneyBee]

Welcome to Beemaster, MalteseHoneyBee!    Looks like a very interesting video.  I'm looking forward to watching it.

thank you :D

[BeeMaster2]

Welcome to Beemaster.
Good video but I disagree with their logic. I agree that they should stop importing honey bees. If they do that then the superior genetics of the Malta honey bee will again take over just as they did naturally.
Jim Altmiller

[MalteseHoneyBee]

Welcome to Beemaster.
Good video but I disagree with their logic. I agree that they should stop importing honey bees. If they do that then the superior genetics of the Malta honey bee will again take over just as they did naturally.
Jim Altmiller

Thank you for your welcome. The Maltese Honey Bee is the rarest of all subspecies, with only around a few hundred colonies, and they are already highly hybridised. The problem is that if importation continues at this rate, the Maltese population will be wiped out before it has the chance for its genetics to prevail.

[MalteseHoneyBee]

https://nahlamaltija.org/2024/08/24/invasive-species-alert-red-dwarf-honey-bee-sighting-in-malta-raises-concerns/

https://youtu.be/OWhg4YHn9gA

[MalteseHoneyBee]

https://nahlamaltija.org/2024/08/26/malta-releases-e2-euro-commemorative-coin-honouring-the-maltese-honey-bee/

[Ben Framed]

MalteseHoneyBee tell us a little about yourself. Are you a beekeeper? How long have you been keeping bees if so?

[MalteseHoneyBee]

MalteseHoneyBee tell us a little about yourself. Are you a beekeeper? How long have you been keeping bees if so?

Hi Ben,

I have been rearing honey bees for over 11 years. However, most of the posts are on behalf of the non-profit organisation I co-founded, where we are working to conserve our endemic honey bee, found only on the Maltese archipelago.

We are also working at a European level https://maltesehoneybee.org/2024/09/09/call-for-support-from-the-european-beekeeping-association-in-the-fight-against-honey-fraud/

[MalteseHoneyBee]

Malta Declares Maltese Honey Bee as National Insect



https://maltesehoneybee.org/2024/09/25/malta-declares-maltese-honey-bee-as-national-insect/

[MalteseHoneyBee]

The Small Hive Beetle, Aethina tumida, has resurfaced in Sicily after a four-year absence. Two sentinel hives have tested positive ? one in central Messina and another just outside the city. This parasitic beetle is notorious for the damage it causes to honey bee colonies. Its presence has prompted Sicilian authorities to initiate containment measures to protect the island?s apiculture sector from further harm.

https://maltesehoneybee.org/2024/10/29/small-hive-beetle-returns-to-sicily-new-cases-spark-concern/

[Ben Framed]

How did they rid the SHB infection to begin with?
Thanks

[Terri Yaki]

How did they rid the SHB infection to begin with?
Thanks

Now that's a good question and I was wondering why they are such a menace there. It seems like here, they are kept in check by the bees or with some traps. I only saw about five beetles myself this year.

[MalteseHoneyBee]

How did they rid the SHB infection to begin with?
Thanks

Hello, apologies, but I didn?t quite catch how they managed to eliminate the Small Hive Beetle. I assume they dealt with it by burning infested beehives, restricting movement for several years, and maintaining strict surveillance