Taxonomic assessment data of Apis mellifera in Kazakhstan

Background. Given the current rates of import of various subspecies of bees to the territory of Kazakhstan, it is advisable to monitor the morphological characteristics of honey bees to identify the "purity" of populations. The purpose is to assess the taxonomic affiliation of bees in Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan. Materials and methods. The material was a sample of worker bees from the Pavlodar region. The research was carried out using standard methods and F.’s methodology. Ruttner. Results. In bees in colonies No. 1, fen O prevailed, and in the next colonies, fen and O. dominated. At the same time, the bees corresponded to the krajin subspecies. Two hair dryers have been identified in f colonies No. 3: 1R and E. The occurrence of 1R hair dryer was higher than E. Three hair dryers have been identified in the fourth colonies. 1R prevailed – 85 %. In the fifth colonies, the majority had phen – 1R (90 %), with a small occurrence of bees – e, 2R. The fourth and fifth colonies were close to the krajin subspecies. Bees with a 1R hair dryer dominated in family No. 6 – 80 %. A wide variety of hair dryers was noted in the colonies No. 7 – E, 1R, e, 2R. Here the hair dryer 1R – 60 % and 2R – 30 % prevailed. According to morphological characteristics, this family is close to the krajin, italian and central russian subspecies. In colonies No. 8, bees 2R, 1R, E were identified, with a predominance of 2R and 1R. An identical situation was revealed in the last colonies examined (No. 9). Conclusions. The studied bees mostly belong to the krainian subspecies. At the same time, colonies No. 8 and 9 are closer to Italian bees in their characteristics. Colonies No. 1 is closest to the Central Russian bee. Hybridization between subspecies, which was essential in the historical past, continues to this day and contributes to the formation of a variety of mixed forms of bees with different characteristics.