The Bashkir bee, or, as many call it, a Burzyan bee, is significantly different from all its relatives. In its kind, it is considered one of the largest, the body of its unusual color for us - there is no pronounced yellow color, and in general it may seem that the insect is dark blue. This article will tell in detail about the Burzyanskaya breed of bees, its description, photo, nature and performance are presented.
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Dark bees make up the majority of all species of bees living in Europe. The described breed is classified as Central Russian bees.
Differences of the Burzyansk breed of bees from the Central Russian, to which it was ranked, are still there, but insignificant. It:
- low winter hardiness;
- the development of the Burzyansk breed occurred, albeit naturally, but without mixing with other breeds;
- long flightless period - up to 180 days;
- knit stormy, but short-lived.
In addition to the anatomical differences, there is another thing - the manufacture of first-class honey!
Appearance
In the natural habitat, the Burzyan bee is the largest in comparison with other representatives of its species. This is very easy to distinguish from ordinary bees - by the absence of the usual yellow stripes on the body. There are stripes, but they are dark gray, some even see a blue tint.
Despite the large size of the body, the proboscis of the Burzian bearded bee is shorter than that of relatives, and reaches only 5 or 6 mm.
Qualitative indicators
Such bees will not fly to the spring flight until the air warms up to at least seven degrees in shaded places. Weather conditions are also very influential, and the Burzyan bee is very sensitive to its change. For example, they perfectly feel that the downpour will begin soon, and in a friendly swarm return from work to the hive. This ability to predict skillfully use bee experts.
But the heat does not suit these hard workers, in hot weather the bees will not fly out of the houses.
Despite its fastidious weather preferences, if the number of honey plants is small, the Bashkir bee will work in the presence of fog, and with a little drizzling rain.
Working time
Tireless toilers, Burzyan bees are able to work 16 hours a day. Especially carefully they process linden and buckwheat, including wild. Honey, these bees create a beautiful color.
The main value of the breed is intensive honey collection and the highest productivity. When compared with many other breeds, the Burzyan bee is slightly inferior in quantitative indicators, but not in qualitative ones.
Such honey bees master new honey bees quite slowly, therefore it is not recommended to drastically change the situation.
Character
It is quite problematic to work with the Burzian bee breed, it is necessary to wear a protective suit every time you inspect the hive. These bees are aggressive when viewed, they gather in a swarm, group and hang a formidable "beard" on their house.
Bees show aggression during smoke work with hives, you need to be very careful!
This breed does not like attention, and all individuals hide from prying eyes in the most remote corners of the houses.
Uterine change is also problematic. The family is strongly attached to its former queen, even if she is from the wild. Problems with a change in the uterus are especially strongly reflected in strengthening before the family hibernates.
Loyalty
Problems with a Burzyan bee arise due to the love of a large family for swarming, and the described Bashkir individuals love this business more than other breeds.
Swarming begins from the 2nd week of June and lasts until the main honey collection. At the end of this period, you can inspect the hive, it should contain many cells with bees - from 8 to 14.
Features of the Bashkir bee
The favorite nectar of these bees is buckwheat and lime. But even in the absence of such plants in the apiary, hard workers will find something to do. The most optimal option in this case is monoflora honey collection.
One of the distinguishing qualities of honey from a Burzyan bee is the attractive appearance of honey, which is caused by the production of a dry whitish signet.
Bees leave early to work - at five in the morning, and they can return to the hive in good weather only by 10 in the evening.
This breed tolerates wintering well and does not need a large amount of food.
The small amount of honey produced is well offset by the amount of selected propolis.
Bees are actively engaged in the construction of new honeycombs, which should not be ignored.
Honey differences
Some people still prefer to collect wild honey rather than beekeeping. But this method is not so attractive financially, and the difference is noticeable in the quality of honey.
Wild honey is valued for the most part because of its maturity, as it is harvested only once a year. Wild honey has a high concentration of bee bread and wax, unlike what is collected by pumping. Also honey from wild hives with darker colors.
The astringent taste and special aroma of honey gives a huge concentration of nutrients and the complete absence of harmful impurities.
Burzian bee honey is produced for sale by on-board beekeeping, that is, individuals remain wild, but farmers support their hives. This method is necessary to maintain the population size, and this breed is already listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Bashkortostan as an endangered species.
On the verge of extinction
Photos of the Burzyan bee are presented in our article. This insect is not as attractive as other breeds of bees, but still carries tremendous value. Today, the population of Burzian bees is very small. Therefore, work is underway to maintain the breed.
The decline in the population is associated with a critical decrease in the natural habitat of the Burzyan bee. For mating, both drones and uterus fly off their hives for tens of kilometers.
Monument to the Burzyan bee in Ufa
Bashkortostan has long been famous for its quality honey. On one of the squares of the capital of Ufa, a monument was placed to the main producer of honey - a bee.
Several sculptors worked on the project. The monument became a work of authorship by masters from Holland.
The monument is an empty metal structure. With the onset of spring, the monument is filled with soil into which the seeds of flowering plants are planted. Further, the "garden" is watered, and over time it blooms with a variety of colors that delight the eyes of passers-by, making even a rainy day more colorful!
No wonder the monument to the Burzyan bee is a favorite place for meetings. Thousands of tourists come to the square annually to personally see such beauty.
The area with the blooming bee has become the main one for holding various city holidays. The statue itself is secretly called a symbol of friendship between nations.
In winter, the statue is freed from the ground, and the structure is put away for storage, so that the rainfall does not damage it and the bee could again delight the eyes next year!