QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI FOR HONEY-BEE STINGING BEHAVIOR AND BODY-SIZE

A study was conducted to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that affect colony-level stinging behavior and individual body size of hone y bees. An F-1 queen was produced from a cross between a queen of Euro pean origin and a drone descended from an African subspecies. Haploid drones from the hybrid queen were individually backcrossed to sister E uropean queens to produce 172 colonies with backcross workers that wer e evaluated for tendency to sting. Random amplified polymorphic DNA ma rkers were scored from the haploid drone fathers of these colonies. Wi ngs of workers and drones were used as a measure of body size because Africanized bees in the Americas are smaller than European bees. Stand ard interval mapping and multiple QTL models were used to analyze data . One possible QTL was identified with a significant effect on tendenc y to sting (LOD 3.57). Four other suggestive QTLs were also observed ( about LOD 1.5). Possible QTLs also were identified that affect body si ze and were unlinked to defensive behavior QTLs. Two of these were sig nificant (LOD 3.54 and 5.15).