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 However, the beekeeper must keep constant watch over his or her hives to ensure that the hybrid queen is not superseded.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!