<P> Apis mellifera is not native to the Americas , so was not present upon the arrival of the European explorers and colonists . However , other native bee species were kept and traded by indigenous peoples . In 1622 , European colonists brought the dark bee ( A. m. mellifera ) to the Americas , followed later by Italian bees ( A. m. ligustica ) and others . Many of the crops that depend on honey bees for pollination have also been imported since colonial times . Escaped swarms ( known as `` wild '' bees , but actually feral ) spread rapidly as far as the Great Plains , usually preceding the colonists . Honey bees did not naturally cross the Rocky Mountains ; they were transported by the Mormon pioneers to Utah in the late 1840s , and by ship to California in the early 1850s . </P>
<P> Apis mellifera is not native to the Americas , so was not present upon the arrival of the European explorers and colonists . However , other native bee species were kept and traded by indigenous peoples . In 1622 , European colonists brought the dark bee ( A. m. mellifera ) to the Americas , followed later by Italian bees ( A. m. ligustica ) and others . Many of the crops that depend on honey bees for pollination have also been imported since colonial times . Escaped swarms ( known as `` wild '' bees , but actually feral ) spread rapidly as far as the Great Plains , usually preceding the colonists . Honey bees did not naturally cross the Rocky Mountains ; they were transported by the Mormon pioneers to Utah in the late 1840s , and by ship to California in the early 1850s . </P>
when were honey bees brought to north america
when were honey bees brought to north america
In 1622 , European colonists brought the dark bee ( A. m. mellifera ) to the Americas
In 1622 , European colonists brought the dark bee ( A. m. mellifera ) to the Americas