Peter Borst, whose instant access to the literature never ceases to amaze, 
quotes: “Restriction enzyme analysis of 422 feral honey bee colonies 
collected from
non-Africanized areas in the southern United States revealed that over 21%
of them had mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) derived from a European race
established in North America by the 17th century”  
From:  Mitoehondrial DNA evidence for the 19th century introduction of 
African
honey bees into the United States by N. M. Schiff and W. S. Sheppard
Experientia 49 (1993)

Very interesting.  I would like to get my hands on that paper.  Am I right 
in assuming the 21% from "a European race" refers to A.m.m.?    I am 
wondering what the above snippet tells us about the history of viability of 
feral colonies since the introduction of varroa, and I wonder what a more 
recent study of this kind would show.  Is it possible that the persistence 
of  A.m.m. genes is in fact handed down from the old days or does it come 
from continual replenishment by more recently imported European bees?   How 
would they know that the A.m.m. markers came from bees that were imported 
in the 16th and seventeenth centuries and not from genes more recently 
brought over from say Dave Cushman stock?   Or am I just reading it wrong?

Steve Noble

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