Trees for bees

Controversy over the origins and evolution of social behaviour in the major groups of social bees (the corbiculate bees) has fuelled arguments over di fferent approaches for building evolutionary trees. However, the applicatio n of different analytical methodologies does not explain why molecular and morphological data suggest strikingly different hypotheses for the evolutio n of eusociality in bees. Determining the phylogenetic root is expected to help resolve the question of the social evolution of corbiculate bees. Howe ver,this requires that the long branch attraction problem is overcome. This phenomenon affects both molecular and morphological data for corbiculate b ees.