Five distinct honeybee subspecies evolved in Turkey's varied microclimates, each adapted to specific elevations and flower types. Genetic studies show they diverged during ice age refugia, making Turkey a museum of bee evolution.
Sönke Bonde, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
A crossroads of bee evolution
The Anatolian peninsula is a natural laboratory for honeybee evolution. Its complex topography of mountains and plateaus created isolated pockets, or refugia, where animals could survive during the Pleistocene ice ages. This isolation drove the diversification of the western honeybee, Apis mellifera, into at least five distinct subspecies within Turkey's borders. These subspecies belong to different genetic lineages that originated in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mitochondrial DNA analysis shows that subspecies like Apis mellifera anatoliaca and Apis mellifera caucasica belong to the Eastern European genetic group. In contrast, bees in the far south, near the Syrian border, possess a unique mtDNA that may represent a fourth major honeybee lineage, distinct from the previously known European, African, and Middle Eastern lines. The region is one of the few places where multiple native subspecies ranges overlap, creating genetic diversity.
Adapted to Anatolia
Each Turkish honeybee subspecies has adaptations for its specific environment. The subspecies of the region is the Anatolian honey bee, Apis mellifera anatoliaca, which populates the central and western parts of the country. It is known for its ability to survive harsh winters and for its good brood-rearing capacity.
In the northeast, along the Black Sea coast and Caucasus mountain range, lives the Caucasian honey bee, Apis mellifera caucasica. Its most famous trait is its exceptionally long tongue, or proboscis, which can reach an average length of 7.2 millimeters. This allows it to gather nectar from deep flowers like red clover, which are inaccessible to many other bees. This bee is also known for its gentle temperament.
Other native subspecies include Apis mellifera meda in the southeast and a distinct ecotype of Apis mellifera carnica in Thrace, the European part of Turkey. A unique ecotype, the Muğla bee, is specialized for producing pine honey in the Aegean region.
💡Fun Facts
The Caucasian honey bee's proboscis is the longest of any *Apis mellifera* subspecies, reaching up to 7.3 millimeters.
Turkey produces 92% of the world's pine honey. This type of honey is not made from flower nectar but from the sugary secretions of an insect, *Marchalina hellenica*, that lives on pine trees.
The Anatolian bee, *A. m. anatoliaca*, is a very frugal subspecies, able to winter well in harsh conditions with low food consumption.
Archaeological evidence suggests that beekeeping has been practiced in Anatolia since at least 7000 BC.
