>I don't know where all this line of thought comes from...why should AHB
>differ from our strain? They have the same basic tube system and after
>all it is only their BEHAVIOR that is different.
 
Are you saying that behavior doesn't affect niche space?  Feral European
honeybees tend to form sedentary colonies that spin off swarms.  My
understanding of Africanized strains is they tend to pack up the whole
colony and swarm en mass, *not leaving behind a parent colony.*  It seems
to me that this could very well have an effect with regards to mites.
 
And if, as has been discussed here, varroa are weakening honeybee colonies,
a tolerance to varroa could give Africanized bees a competitive advantage.
On the other hand, a succeptibility to anything from foulbrood to mites *could*
restrict their spread in areas where these factors are a problem.  I'm
looking at this in terms of ecology, not beekeeping.  These factors could
determine whether the swarm nesting in that hollow tree (or the wall of your
garage) is European or Africanized.  Introduction of European honeybees
changed the ecological balance once.  The arrival of the Africanized bees
is going to do it again.  The question is: how?
 
(Thank you to Jerry Bromenshenk for tips on work on this topic!)
 
--Jane Beckman  [[log in to unmask]]