"African bees are illegal in many jurisdictions but ID is required before mandatory destruction."

From this quote and the rest of the post you seem to be saying that some appear to consider mitotype to define an Africanized bee.  Can you explain why any rational person who knows even the rudiments of what mitochondria do and where they came from would take such a position.  Yes, I clearly understand that a bee with African mitochondria says there is an unbroken maternal line back to Africanized stock.  But, by itself that knowledge is meaningless.  Let me give a hypothetical.  Take a Holstein cow and mate her to a Hereford bull.  Take a F1 daughter and mate to a Hereford bull.  Take a B1 daughter and mate to a Hereford bull.  Take a B2 daughter and mate to Hereford Bull.  Now look at the offspring of that last mating.  What do they look like?  You likely can not see any hint of Holstein in them.  Yet, they have 100% pure Holstein mitochondria.

Dick

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