Apidologie 34 (2003) 111-120
DOI: 10.1051/apido:2003007

Patriline composition of worker populations in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies headed by queens inseminated with semen from African and European drones

Gloria DeGrandi-hoffman^a, David R.Tarpy^b and Stanley S. Schneider<sup>c

a</sup>  Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA-ARS, 2000 East Allen Road, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
^b  Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA
^c  Department of Biology University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, USA

(Received 10 October 2001; revised 29 May 2002; accepted 13 August 2002)

Abstract
Honeybee queens with either European or African maternity were mated to African and European drones to determine rates of sperm utilization. The first month after the queens were inseminated, they produced equal proportions of workers with African and European paternity. However, for the next 3-4 months, more than 70% of the workers produced by queens of either matriline had African paternity. Overall, the queens produced a majority of workers with African paternity during the six-month study period. The possible impact that a higher rate of sperm utilization from African drones might have on the Africanization process is discussed.

Key words: Apis mellifera / Apis mellifera scutellata / sperm utilization / Africanization process

Correspondence and reprints: Gloria DeGrandi-hoffman
    e-mail: gdhoff@aol.com

© INRA, EDP Sciences, DIB, AGIB 2003