دراسة بعض الصفات الشكلية لنحل العسلApis mellifera L. في محافظة اللاذقية - سورية

This study aimed at determining the morphological characteristics of Honeybee Apis mellifera L. in Lattakia. This is in order to verify its racial identity and genetic effluence by external colonies, as well as to determine genetically pure colonies. The results showed that there was no genetic homogeneity between the studied colonies, i.e. there is a genetic effluence due to the imported honeybee queens such as those from the Italian race. Our results also showed that the studied honeybee population remained a representative of the Syrian honeybee because of the absence of essential differences with regards to the studied parameters compared to other studies. This population was different from the Italian and Carniolan honeybees according to the cubital and tarsus indexes, discoidal shifting, and the form of external edge of wax mirror. There was, however, no difference in the number of claws.