Karen writes:
>more than likely she has a cross between the newer AHB and some
>remnants of the bees originally introduced to Latin America by the
>Spaniards.

I did a very thorough search of the old bee journals and learned that
bees were not present in California and Arizona prior to the gold
rush of the 1850s. Dr. Wenner has told of this as well. The early
importations of bees into Arizona were from Texas in the 1880s.

There is no evidence whatsoever that the Spanish brought bees into
the Southwest US at all. The moving of hives over long distances in
the mountainous and desert regions of Mexico is simply something they
did not undertake. Nor did they bring them to California by ship.

It remained to enterprising Americans to do this. As you may know,
the beekeeping world underwent a major revolution in the 1850s due to
Langstroth and other's efforts. For more than a hundred years Arizona
has had access to bees from all the same sources as everybody else.
Why, therefore, would there be "remnants of Spanish bees" there, more
than anywhere else?

On the subject of DNA, I am afraid this technique has raised more
questions than answers. The notion of distinct races of bees that we
once believed may have to be entirely rewritten -- or the notion that
DNA is the ultimate identification tool may be a mirage. In any case,
it does not appear that these two notions are lining up neatly side
by side.

The complexities of tracking honey bee ancestry are illustrated in a
study by N.M. Schiff and W.S. Sheppard (1993):

They studied the genetic variation of feral populations in the
southern U.S. in which 422 feral bee colonies sampled...from nine
states (Florida was not included)...

The results are as follows:
22% were of European honey bee races (Apis mellifera mellifera and
Apis mellifera iberica)...considered "western" races...

~77% were of "eastern" races...A. mellifera carnica and A. mellifera
ligustica... thought to make up the majority of the present U.S.
commercial honey bee stock...

~1% African mtDNA was from the Egyptian honey bee, Apis mellifera
lamarckii, not Apis mellifera scutellata..."

see: Experientia, Vol. 49, pp. 530-532, (cited in APIS newsletter)
http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~mts/apishtm/apis94/apjul94.htm#2 ]

"any correlation of mtDNA types with bee morphometrics in feral
populations is subject to considerable uncertainty" -- Tomas Mozer,
Apicultural Consultant/Apiary Technician, University Of Florida Beelab



IF YOU ARE STILL READING, CONSIDER THIS:

>"A long term study was undertaken to determine whether a
>varroa-tolerant honey bee population could be developed and
>maintained via selective breeding and conventional beekeeping
>practices, and without the use of other mite control strategies. The
>results of this study conducted at an isolated site demonstrate that
>it is relatively easy to find varroa-tolerant colonies, and to
>produce and maintain varroa-tolerant strains of honey bees. This
>Varroa tolerant population has survived for nearly five years with
>mean annual infestation level between 6 and 7 percent." Erickson Jr,
>E. (1999)

Comment:
What this means is: varroa resistant/tolerant bees can be found in
*any* population of bees. No special bees (Spanish remnants) or
special manipulations (small cell foundation) are required. In fact,
attempting to explain the results by referring to these *other*
factors obscures what is really going on: simple selection. I have
never doubted that *this* is possible; in fact, it is our best hope.

--

Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>