Hi All/Ian
 
Ian you mentioned a quote from The Hive and the Honey Bee in which it
is stated that monticula remain pretty much segregated as a race from
scutellata despite seasonal migratory practices etc - 1961 and
another quote by Ruttner -1988.
 
Although both Smith and Ruttner are reputable researchers they based
their research on a very old fashioned and practically useless
technique - morphomentrics - which distinguishes bees on a basis of
wing vein angles and a bunch of other screw balled measurements.
 
I believe that the only real tell tale distinguishment between bee
races can be made by various genetic techniques. Of these various DNA
fingerprinting techniques (OK, but suspect to being messed up by
random factors etc) and sequencing of certain characterisitic regions
seems to be the best way of distinguishing a species. I believe as
yet the results of such work has not been released. This is for
fingerprinting work. Nobody has the cash to do comprehensive
sequencing surveys of AHB races.
 
As far as the colours of AHB are concerned - they are a bad
indicator.
 
So my geuss would be that moticula genes, being african, and being
from female stock will slowly have come forward, as there are certain
mitochondrial (cells energy house) incompatibilities between european
drone sperm and african bee lines. Hence the healthiest bees will be
the purest bees and so on.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
Eastern Cape Prov.
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
After careful consideration, I have decided that if I am ever a V.I.P
the I. may not stand for important.
(rather influential, ignorant, idiotic, intelectual, illadvised etc)