Declining bee populations and decreasing marketability of apiaries pose the necessity for a comprehensive monitoring of the morphological characteristics of honeybees. The monitoring was performed in an introgressive aspect for the first time in the Volga region (Samara region) to preserve the local population of the Middle Russian race (Apis mellifera mellifera L.). Moreover, the race of queen bees was identified through the assessment of drones. Based on the race identification, small population structures of the native forest bee were revealed, which is a prerequisite for restoration of its genetic resources with the corresponding restriction of the import of bees from the southern regions where other taxonomic groups are bred.

It has been proven that favorable prerequisites for the development of bee colonies and the production of high honey flow are created in cases when the apiary is fully surrounded by nectariferous lands (landscapes): forests, meadows, gardens, fields and forest belts with biodiversity of nectar-pollen flora, i.e. a continuous honey flow appears or a flower-nectar conveyor is created. During the phenological observations, beekeepers assured themselves that in order to clearly and fully utilize the nectar-pollen flora, it is necessary to have information from many years of research on the progression of the flowering of the presented plants, starting from early spring and ending in the fall at the end of the beekeeping season. Accurately compiled data of perennial phenological records and a calendar of flowering of entomophilous plants guarantee the beekeeper's opportunities to more rationally control their actions in doing the beekeeping business and improving the honey flow by including newly introduced plants in the flower conveyor that more completely fill the non-honey flow periods. It is safe to hope that, based on the analysis of regular perennial phenological records, each apiary beekeeper can predict the honey flow and make an adjustment to the technology of keeping and caring for the bee colonies. The beekeepers of the apiary of OOO Pchelovodcheskoe of the Kravsnoarmeysky district of the Chuvash Republic have become convinced that by knowing the beginning and end of the full flowering of nectariferous-polliniferous plants, its duration can be determined. Depending on the strength of the honey flow, there are: a no honey flow period, when the bee colony on the control weights shows a decrease in the total mass; supporting honey flow, when the scales show from 0 to 0.6 kg of profit, while the honey in bee colonies does not increase in the direction of profit and does not accumulate in an amount sufficient for pumping the marketable honey; productive honey flow, when reference scales show from 1 kg or more of nectar profit per day. In this case, the amount of ripe honey in colonies will be sufficient for selection and pumping. It should be noted that the main honey flow is the strongest productive honey flow when from each main wintering colony, full unopened honeycomb frames from several honey chambers or shells are pumped out, which is the eventual result of the economic efficiency of the apiary. Analysis of the results of phenological observations allows us to note the shift of the period of the beginning and the end of flowering in other plant species. It should be noted that in both 2017 and 2018, the species composition of the flora in the investigated area has blossomed continuously, ending in August and September: in European goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea) - 01/09/2017 and 28/08/2018; in common globe thistle (Echinops sphaerocephalus) - 09/05/2017 and 08/20/2018.

The results of studies of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) from two points are presented: from a bee colony captured near the Tankovoye village (this swarm was found by a local resident an entrepreneur, the owner of the private nursery “Orekhovod – practitioner” I.S. Emirsinov) and bees captured in the vicinity of Sugut-Oba mountain (Burus) from a swarm captured about 25 km to the southeast of Belogorsk and west of the Feodosia height. Measurements of morphometric features were carried out using the method of V.V. Alpatov (1948), the method of F. Ruttner (2006) was used to identify the morphotypes and the width of the hairline of worker bees. The phenotypic homogeneity of bee colonies from the Tankovoye village was revealed by morphotypes and the width of the hairline on the abdomen of worker bees in the presence of a variety of classical morphometric characters. At the same time, one phenotype characterized by morphotype O (light brown coloration of chitinous integuments on the abdomen) and a narrow hairline f was registered. The presence of this phenotype characterizes the compliance with the breed standards of Apis mellifera caucasica (gray mountain Caucasian), Apis mellifera carpatica (Carpathian) or Apis mellifera carnica (Carniolan), i.e. breeds with a gray abdomen. Molecular genetic analysis of the mtDNA COI site showed the homogeneity of the sample of wild bees captured near the Tankovoye village and their proximity to the Vuchkovskaya line of the Carpathian breed.

Apis cerana and Apis mellifera are important honey bee species in Asia. A. cerana populations are distributed from a cold, sharply continental climate in the north to a hot, subtropical climate in the south. Due to the Sacbrood virus, almost all A. cerana populations in Asia have declined significantly in recent decades and have recovered over the past five years. This could lead to a shift in the gene pool of local A. cerana populations that could affect their sustainability and adaptation. It was assumed that adaptation of honey bees could be observed by comparative analysis of the sequences of genes involved in development, labor division, and caste differentiation, such as the gene Vitellogenin VG. The VG gene nucleotide sequences were used to assess the genetic structure and signatures of adaptation of local populations of A. cerana from Korea, Russia, Japan, Nepal, and China. A. mellifera samples from India and Poland were used as the outgroup. The signatures of adaptive selection were found in the local population of A. cerana using VG gene sequence analysis based on Jukes–Cantor genetic distances, cluster analysis, dN/dS ratio evaluation, and Tajima’s D neutrality test. Based on analysis of the VG gene sequences, Apis cerana koreana subspecies in the Korean Peninsula were subdivided into three groups in accordance with their geographic localization from north to south. The VG gene sequences are acceptable tools to study the sustainability and adaptation of A. cerana populations.

The results of the morphological characterization of Apis mellifera drones are presented in order to identify the biopotential of the “clean” native population in bee yards in 12 regions of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The presence of Is, I, O morphotypes – dark and gray in drones, is established. The O morphotype (dark) corresponds to the Central Russian subspecies, and the drones characterized by the O color (gray) can be related to the subspecies with a gray color of abdominal terga. The analysis of morphometric features in drones is identified as Apis mellifera mellifera allowed to distinguish the following characteristics: O (dark) morphotype with brown (coffee hue) or black hairs color on the abdomen; proboscis length (average) – 3.81 ± 0.08 … 3.97 ± 0.03 mm, cubital index – 1.36 ± 0.07 … 1.45 ± 0.09, wing length (front right) – 11.98 ± 0.49…12.08 ± 0.45 mm, wing width (front right) – 3.72 ± 0.21 … 3.92 ± 0.23 mm, tergite length (third) – 2.90 ± 0.12 … 3.51 ± 0.01 mm, tergite width (third) – 6.40 ± 0.02 … 6.44 ± 0.04 mm, sternite length (third) – 2.62 ± 0.03 … 2.66 ± 0.05 mm, sternite width (third) – 4.52 ± 0.10 … 4.62 ± 0.07 mm, tarsal index – 49.59 ± 0.89 … 52.15 ± 1.93%.