Following a post by Dee Lusby, Bill Truesdell and Isis Glass commented: >Ascribing a genetic change in the bees in essence says that you can go from a set DNA sequence to a new one in two generations and flip right back in the same >amount of time. And the queen is changing the sequence! >reply: This is what I have been saying all along. To get *actual* changes in honey bee types requires a very long time and a high degree of isolation. Evolution did >not create the Italians and the Carniolans from the same ancestors *overnight*. They developed in separate regions and were presumably isolated geographically >for many thousands of years. Now, breeding attempts to accelerate the process of differentiation, but you can only do so much. It may take decades instead of >thousands of years, but you won't get far in a few generations. I must admit that, until this evening, I agreed with this completely. I have never been convinced about the merits of small cell and was certainly convinced that 'regressing' bees would have no impact on future generations. However, this evening I watched a programme in the 'Horizon' series on BBC2 that seems to show that the experiences of one generation can indeed be transmitted not just to the next generation, but to subsequent generations. A link to the BBC website about the programme is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/ghostgenes.shtml It is a pity that there does not seem to be any way of viewing the actual programme again. I found it absolutely fascinating and it could have massive implications for humans and bees. For example, the 'memory' of exposure of a queen or drone to pesticides (e.g. varroa treatments), could be transmitted to future generations with lasting harmful effects. Similarly, the trauma suffered by a larva during grafting could affect future generations bred from that queen. Perhaps our current thinking is about to be turned upside-down - again! Peter Edwards [log in to unmask] -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---