In a message dated 30/08/2015 17:23:57 GMT Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Anyway,  they came back “European.” They were from Texas so I know damn 
well they  weren’t pure European by a long shot. So, I could have legally kept 
them. In  NY they have to be confirmed by a lab, before they can be 
declared  “Africanized.” The tests they use do not reliably discern hybrids.  





What sort of European?  Apis Mellifera mellifera (the black bees of N.  
Europe; AM Ligustica (Italians) AM Carnica (Carniolans) etc etc; about a dozen  
different strains.  With a reasonable degree of accuracy they can be  
distinguished morphologically by examining wing veins, colour, hair length,  
pattern etc and this (with training) can be done by amateur beekeepers without  
the trouble and expense of laboratories.
 
So what are the cubital index and discoidal shift of typical Africanised'  
bees? What colour and pattern are they?
 
I used to check wing veins by mounting them between glass slides,  
projecting onto a wall and applying a ruler etc, but nowadays technophiles (who  
have a better scanner than I do) can download a programme to their computer to  
do the calculations.
 
Chris 

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