Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: bwallace23350 on August 01, 2016, 10:16:22 AM

Title: Do Feral Bees or Regular Bees mate better
Post by: bwallace23350 on August 01, 2016, 10:16:22 AM
So I am betting that next year my hives will probably swarm. They are side by side and there is a wild hive not to far off right at around a mile. I am happy with how my bees have been doing so my question is will the feral bees be more likely to mate with my virgin queens or will proximity win out for the domesticated bees.
Title: Re: Do Feral Bees or Regular Bees mate better
Post by: Michael Bush on August 01, 2016, 10:23:31 AM
Domestic and feral bees exist as separate gene pools that don't mix very much:
http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Dissertations/Summer2008/d_delaney_070108.pdf
http://beesource.com/point-of-view/africanized-honey-bees/southeastern-united-states-honey-bees/
http://jee.oxfordjournals.org/content/88/5/1216.abstract
Title: Re: Do Feral Bees or Regular Bees mate better
Post by: bwallace23350 on August 01, 2016, 10:39:47 AM
That is interesting and good to know. I feel that these feral bees are survivors off a mans domesticated bees. He died about 10 years ago.