The brown bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, is the honeybee subspecies that occurs natively in the Nordic and Baltic region. In the 20th century, other honeybee subspecies were introduced to this region by beekeepers. Today, the native brown bee is endangered due to displacement and introgression by these other subspecies. The conservation of genetic diversity is imperative for maintaining future adaptive potential. Bees are not only important farm animals due to their honey production, but also due to their pollination services. Roughly a third of the world’s crop production is based on insect-pollinated plant species and honeybees represent an important pollinator. In 2014 the Nordic Genetic Resource Center published a report on the current status and conservation of the Nordic Brown bee. Thisfinal report of an international ad-hoc working group, consisting of beekeepers, researchers and members of national beekeeping organizations came to the conclusion that cooperation amongst actors and coordination at the national and international level in the conservation of the brown bee is of utmost importance. More specifically, consistent characterization of bee populations in the Nordic-Baltic region to facilitate exchange of breeding material where necessary and development and promotion of brown bee specific management techniques were identified as important conservation measures.