Bees crawling on a wax cake.

The Nordic Brown Bee

Contact: Mervi.honkatukia@nordgen.org

 

Project period 1: 2011-2014
Project period 2: 2017-2019

The brown bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, is the bee originating from the Nordic region. In the 20th century, bee keepers introduced other subspecies of honey bees to the areas inhabitated by the Nordic bees. This lead to the Nordic brown bee being displaced and hybridised by the new subspecies. Today, the Nordic brown bee is considered a threatened breed.

NordGen’s work with the Nordic brown bee has been active during several years. In cooperation with experts from the Nordic Countries, the status for the bee has been summarised and a conservation plan published. The conservation plan has thereafter been released in a second version with recommendations. Further, a public platform (Brown Bee Wiki) has been established, gathering information about specific management practises for the brown bee. The Nordic network of bee keepers and other relevant stakeholders has been promoted. The aim of the network has been to coordinate activities concerning conservation and the sustainable use of Nordic brown bees.

Visit the Brown Bee Wiki Read the conservation plan

Photo: Brown bees at Læsø in Denmark. © Per Kryger, Aarhus University.