Moved from ID Request.

As a beekeeper since 1999, many of our own bees are a mixtures of Carnolians, Russian, and Italian bees, having been genetically tested by the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville several years ago(on a Fed Grant they received). No new genetics introduced until 2014. The queen bee mates with up to 30 drones in her area(usually NOT those from her own hive, as she is related). Therefore, her own bees will vary depending on the genetics of all the drones she mated with. We have ALL the variations from the light Italian, black of the Russian, and a mixture(your picture looks much like the Carnolian-Apis m. carnica) typically from the areas of Austria, Bulgaria, Rumania, Yugoslavia, and Hungary. Unlike the gentle Italian bee whose genetics have been compromised with chemical use in queen breeding in the USA. Carnolian and often Russian bee genetics are now much desired by natural beekeepers, as they have NOT been exposed to as many chemicals in their homeland, and have a much stronger gene resistance to diseases and pests,as we have shown in the last 12 years of NO chemical use(plus IPM approach) in our two rather isolated apiaries in Oklahoma(I was told in 2002 that it couldn't be DONE!)Look for more of these darker bees in your flowers, as THESE girls will most likely be(e) the "survivor bee pollinators", along WITH the other almost 4,000 NATIVE POLLINATORS in the USA that will save our food supply-IF mankind learns to STOP the over-use of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides along with HABITAT LOSS which also threatens the native pollinators, by the way!