Letters

African and Africanized

In Newsletter 16 I read that "genetic research reveals that Africanized bees are genetically identical tot heir African ancestors".

There is no doubt that there have been many hybridisation between populations of African and European bees. Therefor the more appropriate term is the one long ago thought of, printed and used by Dr Lionel S Gonçalves, which presently is the greatest expert on bees.

I read practically all the publications and reprints on this matter. I believe that the best and most rigours paper on this subject is "Population differentiation and racial admixture in the Africanised honeybee ( Apis mellifera L)" by J A Lobo, M A Del Lama and M A Mestriner (1989) Evolution 43 (4): 794-802.

The mitochondria DNA result and papers are conflicting: they do not have the same figures regarding the type of DNA, that is they do not agree if queens or drones are more important in the expansion of these bees. Also, very little is mentioned in the literature about the enormous introduction of African genes in Venezuela in 1974, confirmed by many Venezuelan beekeepers present at the Apimondia Congress in Rio.

Professor Dra Ana Maria Bonetti, Departamento de Biociencas Universidade Federal de Uberlândia.

Tranquilliser for African honeybee

In the November 1989 Newsletter D M McKinnon draws attention to certain green leaves that may be added to smoker fuel and asks for other ideas. He may be interested to know that in 'Beekeeping with the modern African hive', Eric Johnson recommends sacking dipped in a solution of 250g salt-petre mixed with 1.4 litres water . I have used this preparation at half the above strength and find it helpful in dealing with exceptionally strong and aggressive colonies. Some years ago beekeeping advisors in Tanzania were advocating the use of commercial ammonium nitrate mixed in the smoker fuel to reduce colony aggression.

Peter Paterson, Nairobi, Kenya,