The Caucasian (Georgian) Gray Mountain Honeybee

The Caucasian (Georgian) Gray Mountain Honeybee

The Caucasian Gray Mountain Honeybee (Apis mellifera caucasica-Georgia) is known for its long proboscis or the tongue. The length of its tongue is 7, 2 mm. Among the Georgian honeybee population Megrelian type has the longest proboscis, ranging from 7,17mm to 7,23 mm in length and in this regard it has no match in the world. Thanks to the length of its tongue the Georgian bee can collect nectar from nectaries that are unreachable for other honeybees.
Uniqueness of the Georgian honeybee was introduces to the world in 1961 in Erfurt, Germany at the International Exhibition of Gardening. Two families of honeybees from Chkhorotsku bee farm collected 97, 3 kg of honey and earned a golden medal. Georgian honeybee won golden medals two more times, in August 1965 and 1971 and is now a famous type in the world.