IBRA, the world's longest established apicultural research publishers, promotes the value of bees by providing information on bee science and beekeeping worldwide. A not-for-profit organisation founded in 1949

IBRA, the world's longest established apicultural research publishers, promotes the value of bees by providing information on bee science and beekeeping worldwide. A not-for-profit organisation founded in 1949

The genetic variability of honey bee populations of three subspecies selectively reared in Poland (A. m. carnica and A. m. caucasica) and Bulgaria (A. m. macedonica – type rodopica) was studied using isoenzyme analysis of six enzyme systems (MDH-1, ME, EST-3, ALP, PGM and HK) corresponding to 6 loci. All loci were found to be polymorphic in the studied populations. Three alleles were detected at each locus: MHD-1 (MDH⁶⁵, MDH⁸⁰ and MDH¹⁰⁰), Me (ME⁹⁰, ME¹⁰⁰ and ME¹⁰⁶), EST-3 (EST⁹⁴, EST¹⁰⁰ and EST¹¹⁸), ALP (ALP⁸⁰, ALP⁹⁰ and ALP¹⁰⁰), PGM (PGM80, PGM¹⁰⁰ and PGM¹¹⁴) and HK (HK⁸⁷, HK¹⁰⁰ and HK¹¹⁰). The observed and expected heterozygosities (H_o and H_e) ranged from 0.196 (A. m. macedonica SM) to 0.265 (A. m. carnica MV) and from 0.224 (A. m. macedonica SM) to 0.273 (A. m. carnica GR), respectively. Allele frequencies of all loci were used to estimate Nei's (1972) genetic distance, which was found to range from 0.003 (between A. m. macedonica TR and SM and between A. m. carnica GR and MV populations) to 0.057 (between A. m. macedonica SM and A. m. caucasica populations). The estimated mean F ST value from allozyme data was 0.0364. A UPGMA dendrogram was obtained by genetic distance matrix methods; A. m. macedonica (type rodopica), A. m. carnica and A. m. caucasica populations represented different clades.

Genetic variation of honey bee populations from six different locations corresponding to tree geographic regions: Northwestern, North-central and North-eastern of Bulgaria was studied on 6 enzymic systems (MDH, ME, EST, ALP, PGM and HK) corresponding to 6 genetic loci. Allozyme analysis revealed that all loci studied were polymorphic in almost all populations studied. The mean number of alleles per locus varied from 1.8 to 2.5. The estimated percentage of polymorphic loci was between 50% and 100%. The observed and expected heterozygosities (H_o and H_e) ranged from 0.17 to 0.221 and 0.250 to 0.315, respectively. There are not significant deviations of genotype frequencies from Hardy-Weinberg expectations at most of the loci in most populations (0.99 > P > 0.1). The estimated mean F^ST value from allozyme data was 0.0443 which shows that 4.43% of the overall genetic diversity observed was among populations, as opposed to 95.57% within populations. The values of genetic distance range from 0.002 to 0.036. UPGMA dendrograms were constructed.

Genetic variation of honey bee populations from Bulgaria (local type A. m. rodopica), Greece (A. m. macedonica) and Serbia (A. m. carnica) was studied on 6 enzymic systems (MDH, ME, EST, ALP, PGM and HK) corresponding to 6 genetic loci. Allozyme analysis revealed that all loci studied were polymorphic in most of the populations studied. Four alleles were detected at MDH-1 locus, three—at ME, five—at EST-3, three—at ALP, two—at PGM and three—at HK. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.163 (Serbia) to 0.236 (Bulgaria) and from 0.248 (Greece) to 0.263 (Serbia), respectively. Nei's genetic distances range from 0.012 (between Greece and Bulgaria) to 0.157 (between Serbia and Bulgaria). In UPGMA dendrogram there are two clusters formed. Bulgarian and Greek populations are clustered together in first branch and Serbian population is grouped in the second cluster.