>
> > I thought the following might offer perspective as to how difficult it
> is to make lasting changes in a given population.
> Moritz, R. F. (1991). The limitations of biometric control on pure race
> breeding in Apis mellifera. Journal of Apicultural Research, 30(2), 54-59.
>

Pete, this paper is perhaps a poor example, since the authors did not cite
the numbers of colonies involved, and the flooding of the mating areas with
selected drones was anything but rigorous.  And the breeders were
attempting to replace a well-adapted regional stock with an introduced
stock.  The authors also pointed to the example of the Africanized
bee--which very successfully (and apparently lastingly) displaced the
established European population in tropical America in short order.  The
best adapted generally win the evolutionary competition.

The same phenomenon appears to have occured, and continue to occur, in the
US wild-type populations.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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