Hi Everyone,
Thanks Barry for all the information on the capensis problem.  I find it very interesting that you talk about "hybrid" colonies but it actually sounds from your description that the capensis and the scuts are not interbreeding - in fact the capensis is taking over the scut colony.  Is there evidence of actual interbreeding between the scuts and the capensis?  Colonies of intermediate characteristics?  If not it sounds to me that you are dealing with two different species of honey bees.  One ( the capensis ) seems to have a different pheromone system that allows it to take over scut colonies but the two populations do not blend together as they would is they were interbreeding.  It also leads to the question of the honey bees of Africa - are there several species of honey bees  in Africa as there are in Asia?  Similar in appearance but reproductively separate?  There is some research evidence from the western hemisphere that the African honey bees and the European honey bees don't interbreed and blend together.  Dr Chip Taylor has some evidence of assortive mating and the lack of the hybrids beyond the first generation in the wild both suggest that the honey bees could actually be different species.  We talk about all these honey bees being one species but if they are all the charactistics should be blending together in areas of contact between the races.  If we are dealing with multiple species many of the issues are directly answered such as why the capensis and the scut have existed in overlapping areas without blending together.  It could also help us understand what is happening with the African honey bees in the western hemisphere and why the migration has changes so much as they entered more temperate areas.

Just some observations on this very interesting topic.

FWIW

blane


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Blane White
MN Dept of Agriculture
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