Abstract: Honey bees benefits to human existence cannot be overemphasized in terms of pollination and hive products. However in the emerging challenges of climate change, land transformation, pests, parasites and diseases, pesticides, and unskilled beekeeping operations, there is need to consider selective breeding of African honey bees to augment conservation and increase hive productivity. Africa's bees tend to have behavioral and genetic characteristics different from the European or American bees. For instance, they tend to be more aggressive than their European counterparts which makes them more productive and resilient. This trait can be utilized for the continent's advantage through selective breeding. This review focuses on some aspects of behavior and genetic worth consideration for a successful selective breeding operation based on the East African honey bees subspecies.
Keywords: Apis mellifera, selective breeding, marker assisted selection, behavioral genetics, quantitative trait loci, genetic diversity.
Title: Genetic and Behavior Aspects of the African Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera: A Consideration for Selective Bee Breeding in East Africa
Author: Harrison Gathenga Kibogo
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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