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Wed, 4 Jan 2006 20:35:32 +0000 |
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How do the experts tell AHB from other bees?
At the local level, a Fast Africanized Bee Identification System (FABIS)
test can be performed. Starting with a sample of 50 to 100 bees, 10 bees are
randomly sorted. The right wing is removed from each and mounted on
microscope slides, and the average wing length is calculated. If the average
wing length is over 9mm, the bees are European Honey Bees. If the average
wing length is under 9mm, the bees are suspect Africanized Honey Bees. They
are only suspect AHB because there are some Egyptian Honey Bees in the
county that are a domesticated bee but are slightly smaller that the EHB.
Some EHB are also slightly smaller than usual. The FABIS test is like the TB
skin test. If the test is negative, you do not have TB. If the test is
positive, you might have TB but need a more sophisticated test to be sure.
If there is a need to know for certain that the sample is AHB or not, e.g.,
a multiple stinging incident or death, the sample is sent to the California
Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) for further testing. They can
perform either a DNA, or complete morphometrics test. The DNA test compares
the DNA from the sample to known DNA standards to determine whether the bees
are AHB or not. This test can be done on a small sample size but not if the
bees were killed with certain pesticides. The chemicals used to kill the
bees interfere with the test. Complete morphometrics can be used when the
sample is contaminated with pesticides. Complete morphometrics is a series
of very precise measurements of various parts of the bees in the sample.
Some involve lengths of specific body parts, some involve the angles of wing
veins. These measurements are then averaged and compared to a standard. A
complete morphometrics test requires a larger sample size than the DNA test.
Both tests are quite accurate and are considered the final word in AHB
determination.
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