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Development of molecular markers for western honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) subspecies of regulatory concern in the United States

Marcelino, J. A.; Boardman, L.; Moore, M. R.; Fulton, J. C.; Urbina, H.; Patterson Rosa, L.; Grunewald, B.; Allsopp, M.; Pirk, C.; Cambray, G.; Ellis, J. D.

2026-03-07 ecology
10.64898/2026.03.05.709340 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Rapid, accurate and cost-effective identification of Apis mellifera subspecies is needed for subspecies of regulatory concern. We designed and validated subspecies markers based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) and NADH dehydrogenase 4 (ND4) genes. We used a combination of established and novel real-time qPCRs in a stepwise series, with increasing discrimination power, to (1) differentiate honey bees of African (A-lineage) ancestry from those of other lineages (Cytb SNP #1), (2) identify African-derived honey bees (AHBs) (Cytb SNP #2), and (3) detect A. m. capensis exclusively in the bees indigenous region of South Africa (ND4 SNP). We also developed a restriction fragment length polymorphism assay targeting a SNP on the NADH dehydrogenase 2 (ND2 RFLP) gene to detect the specific mitochondrial A-lineage clade. These assays allow for reliable time- and cost-effective results that provide increased accuracy on subspecies assignation.

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