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Nest Usurpation, Supersedure And Colony Failure Contribute To Africanization Of Commercially Managed European Honey Bees In Venezuela, Robert G. Danka, Richard L. Hellmich, Thomas E. Rinderer
Nest Usurpation, Supersedure And Colony Failure Contribute To Africanization Of Commercially Managed European Honey Bees In Venezuela, Robert G. Danka, Richard L. Hellmich, Thomas E. Rinderer
Richard L Hellmich
The fates of 58 colonies in 4 apiaries managed commercially for honey production in northwest Venezuela were determined during 15 months. All colonies had been previously requeened with marked European queens. Heritage of new queens (European daughter replacements versus Africanized usurpers) was traced by mitochondrial DNA and morphological characteristics of worker progeny. Three usurpations (5% of colony fates, at a rate of 4.7% of colonies per year) occurred. These colonies showed congruent African-derived mitochondrial DNA and Africanized morphology. Supersedures accounted for much of the introgression of African genes into the test apiaries. Twenty-eight colonies (48%) superseded their queens once, three …