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The article presents assessment results for the preservation of European dark honey bees in the northern wooded steppe zone of the Republic of Bashkortostan, which is an integral structure in the honey bee Apis mellifera mellifera population of northern Bashkortostan. Bee farms of 24 settlements in Askinskiy, Arkhangelskiy, Baltachevskiy, Karaidelskiy and Yanaulskiy districts show the persistence of taxonomically pure bees, which stands for 73 % of the samples. During the bee-breed identification, the most volatile parameters were determined (the length the rostrum, the length and width of the right hemelytron, the cubital index) that are greatly influenced by the hybridization processes. The presence of registered pure-breed bee colonies speaks of the biopotential of the European dark bee population in the farms of the given region, which will allow to create pedigree breeding units and pure breeding zones for native bees in the future.

A phenetic analysis of the honey bee population of the Toratau Geopark (Russia) was performed. Over 1,000 worker and drone bee samples were collected from 250 colonies in 59 apiaries on the territory of the Toratau Geopark (Gafuriysky, Ishimbaysky, Meleuzovsky, and Sterlitamaksky districts of the Republic of Bashkortostan). Six phenes in worker bees and four phenes in drone bees were recognized. The phenes E, 1R, 2R, and 3R in workers and Is, I, and O-gray in drones were predominant in the honey bee population of the Toratau Geopark, which were associated with subspecies of the Clineage. These phenes can be used as indicators of introgressive hybridization in the local dark European honey bee population. The phenes allow for quick evaluation of certain honey bee colonies hybridization states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey has been recognized for its medicinal properties for centuries, with well-documented benefits such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. However, despite the widespread use of honey for health-related purposes, many of the underlying mechanisms responsible for its bioactivity remain underexplored. This review delves into the complexity of honey's composition, particularly focusing on the active substances and the honey microbiota contribution to its properties. We aim to bridge the gap in understanding how honey's multifaceted bioactivity arises from interactions between bees, plants, and microorganisms. The review sheds light on the key compounds, including hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal, polyphenols, and antimicrobial peptides, which play vital roles in honey's health benefits. It also highlights the often-overlooked contributions of the honeybee's gut microbiota and the nectar's microbiota, which together influence the chemical transformation of nectar into honey and enhance its therapeutic efficacy. By examining the current literature, this article emphasizes the need for deeper investigation into how various factors-such as floral origin, bee subspecies, and environmental conditions-affect the medicinal quality of honey. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to optimized use of honey in medical applications and reveal new therapeutic potentials. This article provides a comprehensive review of the intricate processes and components that make honey not only a nutritional food source but also a potent natural medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]