ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a general overview of DNA types and methods. It reviews the results from honey bee DNA studies. The DNA evidence points to significant maintenance of the African genotype in neotropical bees. The chapter addresses the use of DNA markers for regulatory identification. A goal of honey bee DNA research is to find differences that characterize the subspecies, especially markers that distinguish African from European races. Honey bee nuclear DNA can be isolated from any stage but is conveniently obtained from larvae or pupae, because the soft tissue facilitates homogenization. With the complexity of the honey bee social organization, greater genetic heterogeneity among colony members might conceivably cause some disruption in the activities requiring communication and coordinated efforts. However, to adequately explain the paucity of the European markers, African bees must also have greater fitness than African-European hybrids.
