Apis mellifera mellifera, commonly called the European dark bee or Northern dark bee, was domesticated in modern times, and taken to North America in colonial times. These big, dark-colored honey bees are sometimes called the German black bee, although they occurred originally from Britain to eastern Central Europe. There are three main ecotypes, namely * mellifera (brown bee) * lehzeni (heathland bee) * nigra (black bee), which have local breeds, such as the Pomeranian brown, the Alps black, or the black Scandinavian. All of the ecotypes belong to the 'M' lineage of Apis mellifera.