I would like to know if it is possible to breed Apis cerana in Europe in order to merge it with Apis mellifera under controlled conditions of course.
It would be illegal! We have seen endless problems created by spreading living organisms beyond their natural borders, so luckily it is banned.
Besides, the two species can’t interbreed, eggs fertilised by sperm will not develop a proper embryo. See this paper for reference:
https://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/pdf/1983/04/Apidologie_0044-8435_1983_14_4_ART0005.pdf
Thanks Per Kryger. Can you further detail where to find the specific wording that A. cerana imports are forbidden (in the EU)? I completely support your arguments, but I hear of speculative ideas of keeping mixed species colonies (supplementing A. mellifera colonies with A. cerana brood combs) to fight Varroa destructor. Having the document would help in discussion.
Besides potential dramatic consequences the introduction of A. cerana could have in Europe, this is a promising approach in Asia, in the natural range of A. cerana where A. mellifera has been introduced.
Robert, these are not speculative ideas, there are actual research projects on this topic: https://www.researchgate.net/project/mixed-species-colonies-of-honeybees-Apis-cerana-and-Apis-mellifera
Dear Robert, You can’t get a permit to import bees, from any country, were Apis cerana naturally exist. There is a specific list of countries outside the EU, from where imports are allowed. There is a specific ban, to introduce a list of species, which are alreadt here, like Vespa velutina and Racoons. Probably we must start to lobby to have the honey bees of Asian specifically banned now, and not only when it is too late.
A 1978 report https://www.evacranetrust.org/uploads/document/7d403256314245e8be4c900be16f31430ec9d7fc.pdf states "There has also been at least one direct importation of Varroa into Europe on Apis cerana, brought from Asia to Germany for experimental purposes,"
Around 2012, discovery of A cerana at the edge of Australia was a big concern Article Ecology, Behaviour and Control of Apis cerana with a Focus o...
Hello Natacha Rossi ,
A study from china reports the nutritional crossbreed between A. mellifera and A. cerana to improve mite resistance in the European honeybee. However, since more than 10 years now this article has been published and it does not seem to work out that well:
Article Breeding the Mite-Resistant Honeybee by Nutritional Crossbre...
I also found a short project report on A. cerana invading the northern part of Australia an possible implications on A. mellifera colonies.
- https://www.agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/14-049.pdf
The authors state that hybrids are inviable and the following paragraph was presented as resume: "A. mellifera queens that mate in areas where A. cerana colonies are present are very likely to encounter A. cerana males and mate with them. Depending on the proportion of A. mellifera and A. cerana males that mate with the queen, the fertility of the queen will be reduced – her eggs will not hatch. This will reduce the productivity of colonies headed by A. mellifera queens that mate in A. cerana areas"
Article Reproductive interference between honeybee species in artifi...
I guess this would also happen if cerana colonies would be introduced to Europe with a further consequence, that these colonies probably would not be able to survive our winter conditions in the middle and the north of Europe.
Cheers,
Richard
Yes: cerana has only half the chromosomes of mellifera. (exactly Half ? that's an interesting figure). so natural mating will be ineffective.
But, what if a diploid cerana drone (rare but conceivable, and certainly could be done in the lab) were to be combined with a mellifera egg? same number of chromosomes...
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