On Mon, 9 Mar 2009 12:05:12 EDT, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>Hygienic behavior consists of two steps - each controlled by a gene.   ID the dead brood, Uncap and 
Remove.

Response:

> In 1964, Walter Rothenbuhler proposed a two-gene model to explain phenotypic variance in the 
remarkable behavior in which honey bee workers remove dead brood from their colonies. Rothenbuhler's 
model proposed that one locus controls the uncapping of brood cells containing dead pupae, while a 
second controls the removal of the cell contents. 

> We show here, through molecular techniques and quantitative trait loci (QTL) linkage mapping, that 
the genetic basis of hygienic behavior is more complex, and that many genes are likely to contribute to 
the behavior. In our cross, we detected seven suggestive QTLs associated with hygienic behavior. Each 
detected QTL controlled only 9-15% of the observed phenotypic variance in the character.

Seven suggestive quantitative trait loci influence hygienic behavior of honey bees
Keryn L. Lapidge · Benjamin P. Oldroyd · Marla Spivak
Journal Naturwissenschaften Volume 89, Number 12 / December, 2002

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