Apparently the mapping of the Honey Bee Genome is on the horizon.
Why? Here's a clue:

>Specific biological rationales for the utility of new sequence data
>
>1.Improving human health:
>
>Novel antibiotics.
>
>Increased drug resistance by pathogenic bacteria has created an
>urgent demand for new antibiotics. Insects are among the more
>promising sources of novel antibiotics 1 and honey bees likely offer
>a rich source because of their sociality. Like humans, honey bees
>live in a social environment with nearly ideal conditions for growth
>and transmission of pathogens. Food is constantly shared among
>individuals, the beehive is maintained at a temperature of 33 C (93
>F)and 95% relative humidity,and population densities are
>mind-boggling (as many as 50,000 adults and 50,000 juveniles at
>densities equivalent to ca.15 adult humans in a 6 x 4 m apartment).
>Although afflicted with many diseases,honey bees must have evolved
>many powerful antibacterial peptides to cope with the huge number of
>pathogens that would thrive in such conditions. Interest in this
>topic is increasing,but a HBGP is necessary for *efficient genomic
>bio-prospecting*.


from:
Proposal for the Sequencing of a New Target Genome:
White Paper for a Honey Bee Genome Project
The Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium
by G.E.Robinson, K.Aronstein, J.E.Evans, S.E.Fahrbach,
S.K.Johnston, R.Maleszka, R.E.Page, H.M.Robertson, D.B.Weaver

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Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>