ABSTRACT
A total of 45 Apis mellifera colonies were sampled from nine centers for rearing queens in the Camagüey province, Cuba. Wing geometric morphometric analysis was used to determine the ancestry and identify Africanization processes at different altitudes in managed honeybee populations on the island. A total of 350 reference wings were obtained from the pure subspecies: Apis mellifera mellifera, Apis mellifera carnica, Apis mellifera ligustica, Apis mellifera caucasia, Apis mellifera iberiensis, Apis mellifera intermissa, and Apis mellifera scutellata for the study. Our results showed that altitude influences wing shape; and that 96.0% (432) of the individuals were classified as Cuban hybrids, with a tendency to the formation of a new morphotype. In addition, a great similarity was found with the subspecies Apis mellifera mellifera, and it was confirmed that there is no Africanization due to the low presence of 0.44% (2) of this morphotype in the population under study. The greatest Mahalanobis distances were obtained for the comparisons between the center rearing of queens in the Camagüey province with the subspecies A. m. scutellata (D2 = 5.18); A. m. caucasia (D2 = 6.08); A. m. ligustica (D2 = 6.27); and A. m. carnica (D2 = 6.62). The well-defined pattern of wing shape produced by honeybee populations in Camagüey's centers for queen rearing suggests a Cuban hybrid. Moreover, it is essential to note that the populations of bees under investigation lack Africanized morphotypes, indicating that Camagüey bees have not interacted with the African lineage.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this research was to analyze the relationship among hygienic behavior (HB), Varroa destructor infestation, and honey production in the central highlands of Ecuador. Overall, 75 honey bee colonies were evaluated before, during, and after production at three altitude levels (2600-2800, 2801-3000, and >3000 m.a.s.l.). The hygienic behavior percentage of the colonies was determined by the pin-killing method, and the colonies were classified into three groups: high HB (>85%), mid HB (60.1-85%), and low HB (≤60%). Varroa infestation was diagnosed as well, and honey production was evaluated only during production. HB was high and heterogeneous, averaging 80% ± 9.7%. Its highest expression was observed at lower altitudes. The infestation degree was low (3.47% ± 1.56%), although the mite was detected in all colonies upon sampling. A negative correlation was observed between HB and Varroa infestation in the first sampling (-0.49 **), suggesting that the high- and mid-altitude HB colonies underwent the lowest infestation rates, regardless of sampling. The correlations between HB and production were significant (0.26 *), indicating a positive effect of HB on production, meaning that colonies with high HB obtained the highest honey production (25.08 ± 4.82 kg/hive). The HB of bees showed an inverse relationship with altitude and it tended to reduce the effect of Varroa infestation, favoring honey production and, thus, suggesting the feasibility of selecting colonies with high HB.
