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Showing posts with label Bees of Cyprus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bees of Cyprus. Show all posts

Saturday 14 October 2023

Η ιστορια της κυπριακης μελισσας Apis mellifera cypria - The history of Cyprus bees - Παύλος Νεοφύτου

See also

Western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera) (Linnaeus, 1758) Μέλισσα - Cyprus

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο


Τζιβέρτι - Τζιβέρκα - Οι κυψέλες του περασμένου αιώνα στην Κύπρο.


 - Μέλισσες της Κύπρου

Ο δημοσιογράφος Παύλος Νεοφύτου μάς παρουσιάζει μια εξαιρετική ιστορική καταγραφή του είδους της Apis mellifera cypria καθώς και της μελισσοκομίας στην Κύπρο από την εποχή των αρχαίων πολιτισμών της Μεσογείου μέχρι και τις μέρες μας.

Από το Χρονικό του ΠΟΛΙΤΗ, Έκδοση Δ΄, Τεύχος 64

                                                    Photos by George Konstantinou






Φωτογραφία 8/9/2016  Γιώργος Κωνσταντίνου έξω απο το μοναστήρι του Αποστόλου Βαρνάβα





Friday 15 September 2023

Τζιβέρτι - Τζιβέρκα - Οι κυψέλες του περασμένου αιώνα στην Κύπρο.

See also

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο



Τζιβέρτι (<μεσν. κυβέρτιον) στα κυπριακά θα πει κυψέλη. Είναι η ονομασία του παλιού, πήλινου κυλινδρικού σκευάσματος το οποίο χρησιμοποιούσαν οι μελισσοκόμοι ως τη δεκαετία του ’50 για την παραγωγή του μελιού.

Το μέλι αποτελούσε, κατά τον προηγούμενο αιώνα, ένα σημαντικό τοπικό προϊόν, με τις μέλισσες να εκτρέφονταν σε κυλινδρικά μακρόστενα πήλινα δοχεία, τα λεγόμενα Τζιβέρκα. Είχαν μήκος περί τα 70 εκατοστόμετρα και διάμετρο περί τα 20 ή και περισσότερα.

Τα τζιβέρκα εντοιχίζονταν στους εξωτερικούς τοίχους των πετρόκτιστων σπιτιών, με κλίση προς το εσωτερικό. Στην εξωτερική τους πλευρά αφηνόταν μικρή είσοδος (20 - 25 εκ.) για τις μέλισσες, ενώ το μέλι το «τρυγούσαν» από το πίσω μέρος, δηλαδή από το εσωτερικό της οικίας. Τζιβέρκα τοποθετούνταν και σε τοίχους αυλών, αλλά και στην ύπαιθρο, κοντά στην κοινότητα που ονομάζονταν μελισσαρκά. Μελισσαρκά υπήρχαν, μεγαλύτερα ή μικρότερα, σχεδόν σε όλα τα μοναστήρια και στα χωριά που περιτριγυρίζονταν από χαμηλή βλάστηση με μελισσοκομικά φυτά. 

Στις αρχές του 20ού αιώνα εισήχθησαν στην Κύπρο οι ξύλινες κυψέλες, που σταδιακά αντικατέστησαν τα πήλινα Τζιβέρκα.

Φωτογραφίες 11/6/2011  Γιώργος Κωνσταντίνου έξω απο  την κατεχόμενη Μονή Αποστόλου Βαρνάβα












Monday 29 February 2016

Violet carpenter bee - Xylocopa violacea - Cyprus

Xylocopa violacea, the violet carpenter bee, is the common European species of carpenter bee, and one of the largest bees in Europe. It is also native to Asia.

Like most members of the genus Xylocopa, it makes its nests in dead wood. It is not particularly aggressive, and will attack only if forced to.

Distribution
The range of Xylocopa violacea extends from Europe eastward across Asia as far as central China, restricted to latitudes above 30 degrees. In India, any all-black species of Xylocopa are referred to by the common name "bhanvra" (or "bhomora" - ভোমোৰা - in Assamese), and reports and sightings of bhanvra are commonly misattributed to this species; however, this species is found only in the northern regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. Most sightings refer to any of several other common black Xylocopa, such as X. nasalis, X. tenuiscapa, or X. tranquebarorum.

In 2006, Xylocopa violacea was reported from Cardigan, Wales. In 2007, it was found breeding for the first time in England, in Leicestershire. This follows a northwards expansion of its range in France, Germany, and the Channel Islands. In 2010 it was recorded in Northamptonshire and Worcestershire.

Description
Violet carpenter bees hibernate over winter and they emerge in the spring, usually around April or May. Hibernation is undertaken by the adults in wood where there are abandoned nest tunnels. In the late spring or early summer, they may be seen around searching for mates and suitable nesting sites. After mating, the gravid females bore tunnels in dead wood, which is where the name "carpenter bee" comes from, although old nest tunnels may be used.

Like other solitary bees, the female creates the nest alone. The eggs are laid within a series of small cells, each of which is supplied with a pollen ball for the larvae to feed upon. The adults emerge in late summer then hibernate until the following year.

Carpenter bees
 (the genus Xylocopa in the subfamily Xylocopinae) are large bees distributed worldwide. Some 500 species of carpenter bees are in the 31 subgenera. Their common name is because nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers (except those in the subgenus Proxylocopa, which nest in the ground). Members of the related tribe Ceratinini are sometimes referred to as "small carpenter bees".
The genus was described by French entomologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek xylokopos/ ξῦλοκὀπος "wood-cutter". Species in this enormous genus are often nearly impossible to distinguish from one another taxonomically, the majority of species being all-black, or primarily black with some yellow pubescence, differing only by subtle morphological features, and details of the male genitalia. In India, for example, any all-black species of Xylocopa is referred to by the common name "bhanvra", and reports and sightings of bhanvra are commonly misattributed to a European species, Xylocopa violacea; however, this species is found only in the northern regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and most sightings, especially elsewhere in India, refer to any of roughly 15 other common black Xylocopa in the region, such as X. nasalisX. tenuiscapa, or X. tranquebarorum
Carpenter bees are large, sturdy, shiny, black coloured bees, some species having yellow markings on the head. Carpenter bees may be mistaken for bumble bees.
The marginal cell in the front wing is thin and stretched and the apex bends away from the costa. The front wing has small stigma. The bee's labrum is concealed by the short mandibles when closed. The clypeus is flat. The thoracic menanotum is presented upright and is part of the rear surface and is almost perpendicular to the dorsal surface. The basitarsi are of the same length as the associated tibiae, and the hind pair of basitarsi are hirsute.
In several species, the females live alongside their own daughters or sisters, creating a small social group. They use wood bits to form partitions between the cells in the nest. A few species bore holes in wood dwellings. Since the tunnels are near the surface, structural damage is generally minor or nonexistent
Carpenter bees can be important pollinators on open-faced flowers, even obligate pollinators on some, such as the maypop (Passiflora incarnata), though many species are also known to "rob" nectar by slitting the sides of flowers with deep corollas.
In the United States, two eastern species, Xylocopa virginica and Xylocopa micans, are found, and three other species are primarily western in distribution, Xylocopa varipunctaXylocopa tabaniformis orpifex and Xylocopa californicaX. virginica is by far the more widely distributed species. Some are often mistaken for bumblebee species, as they can be similar in size and coloration, though most carpenter bees have a shiny abdomen, while in bumblebees the abdomen is completely covered with dense hair. Males of some species have a white or yellow face, where the females do not; males also often have much larger eyes than the females, which relates to their mating behavior. Male bees are often seen hovering near nests, and will approach nearby animals. However, males are harmless, since they do not have a stinger. Female carpenter bees are capable of stinging, but they are docile and rarely sting unless caught in the hand or otherwise directly provoked.
Many Old World carpenter bees have a special pouch-like structure on the inside of their first metasomal tergite called the acarinariumwhere certain mites (Dinogamasus species) reside as commensals. The exact nature of the relationship is not fully understood, though in other bees that carry mites, they are beneficial, feeding either on fungi in the nest, or on other harmful mites.
Carpenter bees are traditionally considered solitary bees, though some species have simple social nests in which mothers and daughters may cohabit. However, even solitary species tend to be gregarious and often several nests will be near each other. When females cohabit, a division of labor between them occurs sometimes, where one female may spend most of her time as a guard within the nest, motionless and near the entrance, while another female spends most of her time foraging for provisions.
Carpenter bees make nests by tunneling into wood, vibrating their bodies as they rasp their mandibles against the wood, each nest having a single entrance which may have many adjacent tunnels. The entrance is often a perfectly circular hole measuring about 16 mm (0.63 in) on the underside of a beam, bench, or tree limb. Carpenter bees do not eat wood. They discard the bits of wood, or reuse particles to build partitions between cells. The tunnel functions as a nursery for brood and storage for the pollen/nectar upon which the brood subsists. The provision masses of some species are among the most complex in shape of any group of bees; whereas most bees fill their brood cells with a soupy mass, and others form simple spheroidal pollen masses, Xylocopa species form elongated and carefully sculpted masses that have several projections which keep the bulk of the mass from coming into contact with the cell walls, sometimes resembling an irregular caltrop. The eggs are very large relative to the size of the female, and are some of the largest eggs among all insects.
Two very different mating systems appear to be common in carpenter bees, and often this can be determined simply by examining specimens of the males of any given species. Species in which the males have large eyes are characterized by a mating system where the males either search for females by patrolling, or by hovering and waiting for passing females, which they then pursue. In the other mating system, the males often have very small heads, but a large, hypertrophied glandular reservoir is in the mesosoma, which releases pheromones into the air stream behind the male while it flies or hovers. The pheromone advertises the presence of the male to females
Woodpeckers eat carpenter bees as do two species of flies. Woodpeckers are attracted to the noise of the bee larvae and will drill holes along the tunnels to feed on the larvae.  The flies lay eggs in the entrance to the bee’s nest and the fly maggots live off the bee larvae. The two fly species are diptera and bombyliidae.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos Amiantos 22/4/2015 by George Konstantinou

Thursday 25 February 2016

Eucera dimidiata Brullé, 1832 - Cyprus


Eucera is a genus of bees in the family Apidae subfamily Apinae and the tribe Eucerini - or long-horned bees.

As in most members of the tribe Eucerini, the antennae of males are very long. Old world Eucera can be identified through having 5 or 6 maxillary palpomeres, first flagellomere shorter than scape and clypeus protuberan in front of compound eye by at least the width of the eye in side view. All these characteristics are found in both sexes. Additionally, the males have convergent carinae on S6. Eucera species nest in the ground. Some species are important pollinators of alfalfa.

Eucera is holarctic.

This genus has 219 species of which 78 are known from Europe.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Vougies 20/2/2016 by George Konstantinou






Tuesday 13 October 2015

Xylocopa sp. - Cyprus


Carpenter bees (the genus Xylocopa in the subfamily Xylocopinae) are large bees distributed worldwide. Some 500 species of carpenter bees are in the 31 subgenera. Their common name is because nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers (except those in the subgenus Proxylocopa, which nest in the ground). Members of the related tribe Ceratinini are sometimes referred to as "small carpenter bees".
The genus was described by French entomologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek xylokopos/ ξῦλοκὀπος "wood-cutter". Species in this enormous genus are often nearly impossible to distinguish from one another taxonomically, the majority of species being all-black, or primarily black with some yellow pubescence, differing only by subtle morphological features, and details of the male genitalia. In India, for example, any all-black species of Xylocopa is referred to by the common name "bhanvra", and reports and sightings of bhanvra are commonly misattributed to a European species, Xylocopa violacea; however, this species is found only in the northern regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and most sightings, especially elsewhere in India, refer to any of roughly 15 other common black Xylocopa in the region, such as X. nasalisX. tenuiscapa, or X. tranquebarorum
Carpenter bees are large, sturdy, shiny, black coloured bees, some species having yellow markings on the head. Carpenter bees may be mistaken for bumble bees.
The marginal cell in the front wing is thin and stretched and the apex bends away from the costa. The front wing has small stigma. The bee's labrum is concealed by the short mandibles when closed. The clypeus is flat. The thoracic menanotum is presented upright and is part of the rear surface and is almost perpendicular to the dorsal surface. The basitarsi are of the same length as the associated tibiae, and the hind pair of basitarsi are hirsute.
In several species, the females live alongside their own daughters or sisters, creating a small social group. They use wood bits to form partitions between the cells in the nest. A few species bore holes in wood dwellings. Since the tunnels are near the surface, structural damage is generally minor or nonexistent
Carpenter bees can be important pollinators on open-faced flowers, even obligate pollinators on some, such as the maypop (Passiflora incarnata), though many species are also known to "rob" nectar by slitting the sides of flowers with deep corollas.
In the United States, two eastern species, Xylocopa virginica and Xylocopa micans, are found, and three other species are primarily western in distribution, Xylocopa varipunctaXylocopa tabaniformis orpifex and Xylocopa californicaX. virginica is by far the more widely distributed species. Some are often mistaken for bumblebee species, as they can be similar in size and coloration, though most carpenter bees have a shiny abdomen, while in bumblebees the abdomen is completely covered with dense hair. Males of some species have a white or yellow face, where the females do not; males also often have much larger eyes than the females, which relates to their mating behavior. Male bees are often seen hovering near nests, and will approach nearby animals. However, males are harmless, since they do not have a stinger. Female carpenter bees are capable of stinging, but they are docile and rarely sting unless caught in the hand or otherwise directly provoked.
Many Old World carpenter bees have a special pouch-like structure on the inside of their first metasomal tergite called the acarinariumwhere certain mites (Dinogamasus species) reside as commensals. The exact nature of the relationship is not fully understood, though in other bees that carry mites, they are beneficial, feeding either on fungi in the nest, or on other harmful mites.
Carpenter bees are traditionally considered solitary bees, though some species have simple social nests in which mothers and daughters may cohabit. However, even solitary species tend to be gregarious and often several nests will be near each other. When females cohabit, a division of labor between them occurs sometimes, where one female may spend most of her time as a guard within the nest, motionless and near the entrance, while another female spends most of her time foraging for provisions.
Carpenter bees make nests by tunneling into wood, vibrating their bodies as they rasp their mandibles against the wood, each nest having a single entrance which may have many adjacent tunnels. The entrance is often a perfectly circular hole measuring about 16 mm (0.63 in) on the underside of a beam, bench, or tree limb. Carpenter bees do not eat wood. They discard the bits of wood, or reuse particles to build partitions between cells. The tunnel functions as a nursery for brood and storage for the pollen/nectar upon which the brood subsists. The provision masses of some species are among the most complex in shape of any group of bees; whereas most bees fill their brood cells with a soupy mass, and others form simple spheroidal pollen masses, Xylocopa species form elongated and carefully sculpted masses that have several projections which keep the bulk of the mass from coming into contact with the cell walls, sometimes resembling an irregular caltrop. The eggs are very large relative to the size of the female, and are some of the largest eggs among all insects.
Two very different mating systems appear to be common in carpenter bees, and often this can be determined simply by examining specimens of the males of any given species. Species in which the males have large eyes are characterized by a mating system where the males either search for females by patrolling, or by hovering and waiting for passing females, which they then pursue. In the other mating system, the males often have very small heads, but a large, hypertrophied glandular reservoir is in the mesosoma, which releases pheromones into the air stream behind the male while it flies or hovers. The pheromone advertises the presence of the male to females
Woodpeckers eat carpenter bees as do two species of flies. Woodpeckers are attracted to the noise of the bee larvae and will drill holes along the tunnels to feed on the larvae.  The flies lay eggs in the entrance to the bee’s nest and the fly maggots live off the bee larvae. The two fly species are diptera and bombyliidae.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos Geri , 7/6/ 2010 by George Konstantinou