Accurate Detection of -Hybrids (Africanized Bees) Using a SNP-Based Diagnostic Assay.

Hybrid populations of Africanized honey bees (-hybrids), notable for their defensive behaviour, have spread rapidly throughout South and North America since their unintentional introduction. Although their migration has slowed, the large-scale trade and movement of honey bee queens and colonies raise concern over the accidental importation of -hybrids to previously unoccupied areas. Therefore, developing an accurate and robust assay to detect -hybrids is an important first step toward mitigating risk.

Conservation Genomics of the Declining North American Bumblebee Reveals Inbreeding and Selection on Immune Genes.

The yellow-banded bumblebee was common in North America but has recently declined and is now on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The causes of s decline are not well understood. Our objectives were to create a partial genome and then use this to estimate population data of conservation interest, and to determine whether genes showing signs of recent selection suggest a specific cause of decline.