I have zero interest in going into discussion, BUT here is what I can say


Simplified, it is a complex trait and from a practical standpoint is
controlled roughly by a dozen loci, most of which recessive for the
defensive behavior and double that number gene modifiers. Said in plain
language, when the queen line is genetically stable for gentleness, it
doesn't make much of a difference what her daughters mate with. Often
enough very aggressive colony becomes docile as soon as the queen is
replaced and her first eggs start hatching (within a week!) 


A friend of mine is a beekeeper in Cyprus (A.m. cypria is reputed the
second most defensive bee in the world, NASA clothing is absolutely
imperative) and selling (buckfast) queens all over Europe. The openmated
queens are generally almost as docile as the pure mated queens, despite
roughly half of the progeny being bastards


A Scutellata x Carnica backcross (F2) is as docile as pure Carnica (Ruttner
I believe)
Anyone from africanized area in US, willing to share experience with
Carnica and Ligustica breeder queens ???


The fact that often seemingly docile strain of bees remains docile as long
as is mated with something related, but turns berserk as soon as
outcrossed, I personally find far more exciting 


Regards
Andon Gospov


----- Цитат от Bill Hesbach
([log in to unmask]), на 27.12.2019 в
17:42 -----


...
  At the same time, we have seen that crossing African and European bees
does not generally result in a more manageable bees, since the aggressive
traits appear to dominate. 


The question being raised is where is the "dominance" originating from, the
maternal line or paternal line or both. The study cited in the origin of
this thread is suggesting the possibility that the DNA of drones may play a
more important role in inherited defensive behavior than we currently
acknowledge. The authors offer a few theories around how the gene
expression of the queen may tend toward less defensive behavior while drone
allies may reverse that tendency. 


But the study doesn't really inform beekeepers much, even if the theories
are proven correct, because we already know that European queens crossed
with Africanized drones generally produce defensive colonies. 


...


https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esi038




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