In a recent study The Carniolan Honeybee from Slovenia – A Complete and Annotated Mitochondrial Genome with Comparisons to Closely Related Apis mellifera Subspecies, supported also by the EEA and Norway Grants, researchers sequenced and annotated the mitochondrial genome of a specimen of A. m. carnica from Slovenia and compared the obtained data with a previously published sample of the A. m. carnica from Austria and the closely related Italian honeybee A. m. ligustica.

The results of this study represent a valuable addition to the information available for phylogenomic studies of the honeybee. They may reflect historical dispersal and isolation, as well as conservation and protection measures for the management of this indigenous honeybee subspecies in Slovenia. Additionally, the findings are essential for the local subspecies’ conservation and preservation and form the basis for investigations into the molecular mechanisms underlying important phenotypic traits of A. mellifera— a pollinator species of worldwide importance.

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