> [Sheppard] found evidence of prior hybridization
> between [EHB and A m scutellata] based on 
> the presence of a presumptive European
> mtDNA marker, although the population
> was *morphometrically indistinguishable*
> from African A m scutellata 

This is not a surprise.  
Dr. Kerr was working to hybridize the African bees with the European bees,
in an attempt to create a superior hybrid.  The bees that escaped Kerr's
attempt at "quarantine" and infested Brazil would have been hybrids from the
start, AfricanIZED bees rather than pure African bees.  It follows that Kerr
would have had hybrids escape, not pure A m scutellata.

On the broader question asked in the subject line of the post, the AHB
infestation would not have spread as far as from Brazil to the entire
southern tier of US states (over 5,500 miles) if they did not put up greater
numbers of drones, more swarms, and play their nasty little trick with
"Usurpation".  As Jerry Hayes found in places like Tampa, FL, the only
defense was to requeen time after time after time, and be willing to kill
hives that were too defensive.  Jerry had a very limited problem there, the
introduction point being the port of Tampa, where the usual negligence of
importers allowed living things to be occasionally imported along with
inanimate goods.

It follows that any swarm in LA lacking a marked queen would have a very
high probability of being AHB.  Yes, I know there are a number of people who
tiptoe along the fine line between profiting off the civilian fear of bees
and insisting that the bees are not AHB to be exterminated rather than
removed alive, but Upton Sinclair said it best: "It is difficult to get a
man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding
it."

Irrational fear of AHB in areas well beyond the range of AHB infestation
driven by news reports from the areas of infestation is the biggest single
barrier to urban and suburban beekeeping and the production of local food in
latter-day Victory Gardens by those who have limited access to fresh fruits
and veggies.  The recent termination of unemployment insurance only makes
the problem worse.  The self-indulgent Marie Antoinette types suffering from
misplaced rural nostalgia who want to play at being a peasant so they can
post photos to Instagram and their blogs need to get real, and realize that
they are giving urban beekeeping as a whole a bad name.  They should get
some chickens instead.  But even chickens seem to be too much trouble for
manna wannabe whole earthers:

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/backyard-chickens-dumped-shelters-when-hipster
s-cant-cope-critics-say-6C10533508
http://tinyurl.com/mpb9mj4


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Sent from my not-so smartphone.
My typo rate may vary
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