I wrote:
> Personally, I wonder if the bees in the US can be classified as Italian, Carniolan, or they are mostly a mix.
turns out, an entire PhD thesis was written on this topic, by Megan Taylor, working with Walter S. Sheppard at Washington State University. She writes:
The Honey Bee Act of 1922 limited further importation of honey bees into the United States and it was from the original small subset that the genetic background of honey bees in the United States was formed. Additionally, of the subspecies that were originally brought to the New World, only three took favour with the beekeepers, they were Apis mellifera ligustica (the Italian honey bee), Apis mellifera caucasica (the Caucasian honey bee), and Apis mellifera carnica (the Carniolan honey bee).
Analysis of molecular variance indicated that there was significant structure when comparing the populations. However, the vast majority of the detected population differentiation (variance) was within individuals (69%). *Genetic differentiation between A. m. ligustica and A. m. carnica was not significant.* New World strains do not appear to be allied with their progenitors of the Old World, but rather a mix of A. m. ligustica and A. m. carnica.
Different evolutionary processes such as founder events, genetic drift, non-random mating, and selective pressures, all influence the overall genetic structure of a population (Hartl and Clark, 2007). Local adaptations are essential to the survival of an organism, yet an organism can only operate within the confines of its own genetic variability. The use of Old World germplasm can ameliorate the losses in allelic richness of queen producer populations, allowing for a broader base from which queen producers can more appropriately select and breed.
MEGAN ALANA TAYLOR. 2016. OLD WORLD HONEY BEE (Apis mellifera) POPULATIONS: A GENETIC RESOURCE FOR U.S. HONEY BEE BREEDING
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Dave de Jong also found the bees of the US to be a mix, using wing vein measurements. He identified three groups: A. m. mellifera; the carnica/ligustica group; and the US hybrid group.
Morphometric differences in a single wing cell can discriminate Apis mellifera racial types. Apidologie 37 (2006) 91-97 DOI: 10.1051/apido:2005062
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