DNA extraction from honey bee intestinal bacteria and pollen

DNA extraction from honey bee intestinal bacteria and pollen

The mite Varroa destructor is largely responsible for the catastrophic reduction in
viable colonies of the Dark Northern European honey bee Apis mellifera mellifera.
Furthermore, introgression from imported southern sub-species is thought to have
altered the genetic integrity of this bee to the point where it is now considered
extinct across most of Europe, but Ireland remains a stronghold (Hassett et al., 2018,
Henriques et al., 2018). The Dark Northern honey bee is adapted to colder, wetter
weather and a shorter foraging season compared to the southern sub-species.
These adaptations allow the production of honey in northern Europe and efficient
pollination of crops and wild flora. Research focuses on the adaptive evolution of
this honeybee including how some bees display resistance/tolerance to parasitism.
Observed colony traits and local environmental conditions, combined with
genomics, genotyping and morphometric analysis of the bees have been used to
determine those strains & traits offering greatest tolerance to Varroa whilst retaining
local adaptations. This information will be employed to guide a breeding program
for Varroa-resistant native Irish honey bees.