Latshaw Apiaries 

AUREA

For many years people have simply referred to these bees as Cordovan Italians, however, I felt such a beautiful and productive bee deserved a proper name.  After many hours of reading the early history regarding Italian honey bees, I discovered the name AUREA.  AUREA originates from the Latin root aurum, which simply means “gold”.  One of the early varieties of the Italian bee was known as the Aurea or “golden bee”.  It was well known for its brilliant yellow color and was well liked by many beekeepers for its gentle nature.   

The Italian honey bee, A. m. ligustica, is the foundation for this stock.  To further enhance the beauty of these Italians the cordovan gene was incorporated.  The cordovan gene enhances the yellow pigmentation by inhibiting the production of black pigment in the exoskeleton. 

Send mail to ohioqb@aol.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 02/29/08

© 2007 Latshaw Apiaries