02/10/2026
Late season swarm decided one of our old hives was the perfect new home! 🏡 But these aren’t just any bees—they are the native, endangered Welsh Black Bee (*Apis mellifera mellifera*).
I’ve just carefully transferred them into a dry, clean hive and provided them with winter supplies to ensure they have the absolute best chance of thriving through the cold months.
When people hear "honey bee," they often assume they are just abundant livestock. But the reality for our native subspecies is starkly different, and it’s time we talk about it:
🌍 **Officially Endangered:** The IUCN recently updated the European Red List, officially classifying wild populations of the Western Honey Bee as "Endangered" within the EU.
🧬 **The Threat of Genetic Pollution:** The biggest threat to our native Welsh Dark Bee isn't just habitat loss; it's genetic pollution through hybridization with imported subspecies (like Italian, Carniolan, and Buckfast bees). Recent academic research (including vital work from Bangor University) confirms that while they aren't extinct, pure genetic reservoirs are critically rare and require active, dedicated conservation.
🛑 **A Hard Truth About Conservation:** It is incredibly frustrating that many mainstream conservation and ecological organizations actively push a negative narrative against *all* honey bees, wrongly labeling them as "invasive" or a threat to native solitary bees. This scientifically flawed stance ignores two massive facts:
1. The native honey bee *is* a native species.
2. Honey bees and solitary bees occupy completely different ecological niches (generalist long-distance foragers vs. solitary short-distance foragers) and do not directly compete for the same localized resources.
This widespread, institutional misinformation is a major reason why native honey bee populations are misunderstood, marginalized, and left unprotected by the very groups claiming to save biodiversity. We need holistic conservation that protects *all* pollinators, including our native honey bees.
What are your thoughts on the Welsh Black Bee and the role of native honey bees in conservation? Let’s discuss below! 👇
