Peter wrote:  "Currently, there is no reliable low-cost genetic test for detecting Africanized honeybees available."

Does the test need to be genetic?  A cheaper (free!) way of checking might be morphometrically, probably by the beekeeper or the local beekeepers' association looking at the bees through a magnifying glass (or on screen for the techies).  The wing veins are the obvious thing to look at.  What are the Cubital Index and Discoidal Shift for Africanised bees?  How do they differ from Amm, Aml etc etc?

There are computer programmes that work out the figures for you but you need a scanner more modern than mine to look at the wings.  On the rare occasions I have played this game I have projected the image of the wings onto a wall and used a ruler to calculate the proportions and thus get a rough idea of the genes of my bees.  

Of course, this will not give a totally accurate answer as wing genes might be inherited separately from sting genes but could be a good starting point, especially at first. However, it is possible that if people get carried away and select only on the basis of looks they might overlook useful behavioural properties.

Chris

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