Hi all

I am forwarding this to all as very interesting reading for
thinking
about.

Regards,

Dee A. Lusby
---
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To: [log in to unmask]
From: Erik Osterlund <[log in to unmask]>
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Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 16:44:44 +0200
Subject: Re: [BioBee] Observations on feral honey bees in
Florida,
USA

At 15.38 -0500 02-05-04, Barry Birkey wrote:

>Scientific note: Observations on feral honey bees in
Florida, USA
>Tomas Mozer, Apicultural consultant/Apiary technician,
University of
>Florida[1]

So Barry, here's an evidence then of a substantial size of
a feral
population in varroa country.
...
> Of particular interest were colonies of smaller worker
bees (avg.
fwl
> <9.0mm), approximately 21% of total samples, of which ~1%
were
identified
> as Africanized honey bees by African mtDNA markers[8].

These then are rests from early 20th century imports of
African bees
and/or
1960 imports by Taber from Kerr in Brazil, as I've
understood that
Florida
is not invaded yet by what is called AHB coming from
Mexico.

>The remaining ~20%
>manifested substantial western as well as eastern European

matrilines,
>including an unknown mitotype that was neither European
nor
(sub-Saharan)
>African, but perhaps of circum-Mediterranean origin[9].

This then could well be a native matriline, couldn't it,
existing
since
time before Columbus?

>These results coincide with previous studies of the
diversity of
feral and
>commercial populations in the southern U.S. by Schiff &
Sheppard[11]
>showing significant genetic differences which suggest that
the feral
>population may represent a novel source of genetic
variation for
breeding
>programs[12].

Yes, then get going and collect some swarms and establish
an American
good
bee well adapted for the area.

No one measured the cell size of course in those ferals.

regards

Erik



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