Guilfordbeekeepers.org

New as I am to beekeeping, I have tried to find photos to show me the difference between Russian and Italian bees -- I'm assuming that there must be some differences you can see just by looking. I was taking photos of bees on my backyard clover. There are marked differences between the two in the photo I have attached. Other than the fact that one has a dark abdomen and the other a light one, can anyone tell me what the difference is? Is one Russian and the other Italian, or is there just a lot of variation in what bees look like?

Good pictures!
The obvious differences are well shown in your picture.
The real diiferences are more subtle and not visible to the naked eye.

Please visit http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/api ... s/2.16.pdf for a good list of variables.

Kurt

Thanks Kurt. The link was very helpful.

Bill