Guillermo Jacoby queried about AHB in Nicaragua:
>> My question is:  How can I get their aggressiveness down?  I was
>> thinking of importing queens....
 
Tom Elliott responded:
> I have yet to hear any suggestion of selective breeding of AHB...
>                                            ...  We could do
> a real service to those now keeping AHB if we were to export a mild
> mannered AHB that had the required mating habits to compete with the
> feral population.
 
Tom's answer hits two points that make toning down an AHB population
problematic.  "Selective breeding" is a good tool in affecting
change in the characteristics of honeybees.  Unfortunately, speaking
from what I have read as I have no firsthand experience with AHBs, AHBs
don't readily allow the manipulations required for an effective
selective breeding program.  Furthermore, Ted mentions competition with
the feral populations, which in Nicaragua are mostly if not all
Africanized.  It is my understanding that the aggressiveness in AHB is
not confined to their temperament, it also extends to their "work ethics"
when it comes to competing for nectar and pollen and it also extends to
their amorous lives when it comes to mating with receptive queens.  AHBs
out compete their European cousins when it comes to foraging and they
out compete their European cousins when it comes mating.  The Africanized
drones get to the queens first!  Hence, a requeening program will
require diligence to keep the European queens "throned" and unless the
bee yard is isolated from the africanized feral population, any
supersedure will most likely result in an africanized replacement.
Attempts to keep European pockets in an Africanized area put the
European bees at a disadvantage regarding production and require a good
deal of effort keeping the European strains pure.  This is not to say
that there is no hope, as progress has been made with selectively
crossing European and Africanized bees.  I'm not sure of the details
or source (I believe a back issue of _American_Bee_Journal_, specific
issue I cannot provide), but there have been promising results with
such hybrids (perhaps it was a double hybrid?).  However, the beekeeper
must keep constant watch over his or her hives to ensure that the
hybrid queen is not superseded.  I believe the article was titled
"Working With the Africanized Bee" but that is just a guess.  The
hybrid discussed was less fierce than the Africanized strain yet better
able to compete in the Africanized neighborhood.
 
The quick answer to Guillermo's query is requeen.  I imagine the best
source for workable queens will be local.  Sorry that I don't have
the issue of this information.
 
Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!