http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004239;jsessionid=13BD2D86CD5D4E74D8928657CBE82AD4

"The results indicated that the Asiatic honeybee adult generated more
variable antimicrobial peptides, especially hymenoptaecin peptides than the
Western honeybee when stimulated by pathogens or injury. This suggests that,
compared to the Western honeybee that has a longer history of domestication,
selection on the Asiatic honeybee has favored the generation of more
variable antimicrobial peptides as protection against pathogens."

Another interesting difference between the two which might explain some of
the "tolerance" of A Cerana to Varroa, since Varroa is a vector.

Bill Truesdell (who, even after he explains the joke is taken seriously, so
here I am serious.)
Bath, Maine

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