> Although Cerana bees must have shared a common ancestor with Mellifera, they have evolved into separate species. It is not possible to cross Cerana with Mellifera even using instrumental insemination, because the two species are now genetically incompatible, and viable eggs do not result from the cross fertilisation. Other differences include their differing reactions to diseases, infestations and predators. Cerana can tolerate varroa and has developed an effective defence strategy against the Giant Hornet, against which Mellifera bees have no defence. Cerana is however, highly susceptible to the acarine mite, which arrived with the introduction of Mellifera bees into Cerana territory. It is also highly susceptible to sac brood and foul brood, but not markedly so to nosema.

(c) BIBBA 1996 Ashleigh Milner
http://www.angus.co.uk/bibba/bibborig.html

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> Perhaps the best of all worlds would be a mellifera- cerana mix of bees. This controversial possibility was reported by Dr. Eric Mussen in his latest From the UC Apiaries. The same Dr. Wongsiri mentioned above has apparently reported that mellifera colonies will accept frames of emerging cerana brood. The cerana bees then groom their mellifera sisters in the colony, removing and biting the Varroa mites. What the beekeeper winds up with is a sub-population of honey producing mellifera cared for by a sub-population of cerana!

> Many also favor bringing in African bees from Brazil or Africa. One reason is that both Brazil and Africa report fewer disease problems; however, as the article on the numbers game in this newsletter reports, there are disease problems in Brazil. Nevertheless, those promoting importation use the rationale that because the U.S. now has Varroa, and tracheal mites, nothing new could possibly hurt the U.S. beekeeping industry. For a fuller discussion of stock introduction, see the April 1989 APIS.

> This concept is debatable. An interesting situation has arisen in Argentina, presumably due to importation of a large quantity of queens from the U.S. American foulbrood, previously unknown in that country, is now epidemic.

(c)1990 M.T. Sanford
http://tinyurl.com/6ow4u4

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