Promiscuous queen bees maintain genetic diversity
Monday, April 16, 2012 - 15:30
in Biology & Nature
By mating with nearly 100 males, queen bees on isolated islands avoid inbreeding and keep colonies healthy. New research has focused on giant honey bee colonies on Hainan Island, off the coast of China. Since these bees have long been separated from their continental cousins, it was thought that the island bees would be prime candidates for inbreeding as well as having very different genes.