go native bees!

Hey, did you know our honey bees aren't ours?
They are, allegedly, Italian. And probably from New Zealand.

Apparently, these bees were considered more docile than our native species and produced more honey per colony. However, despite their temper and laziness, British bees may prove to be more resilient to CCD.

And The Co-op, when not digging the countryside for gravel, are investing in a project which might see an expansion of the native ''black'' honeybee, apis mellifera mellifera (brown), and its cousins, apis mellifera nigra (black) and apis mellifera lehzeni (heathland). Good for them! Go Native Bees!