The Invasion of the Dwarf Honeybee, <i>Apis florea</i>, along the River Nile in Sudan

• Main Authors: Mogbel A. A. El-Niweiri, Robin F. A. Moritz, H. Michael G. Lattorff
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-11-01
• Series: Insects
• Subjects: <i>apis mellifera</i>; microsatellite dna; competition intensity; mating frequency; population density
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/11/405

The spread of the dwarf honeybee, <i>Apis florea</i>, in Sudan along the river Nile in a linear fashion provides a good model for studying the population dynamics and genetic effects of an invasion by a honeybee species. We use microsatellite DNA analyses to assess the population structure of both invasive <i>A. florea</i> and native <i>Apis mellifera</i> along the river Nile. The invasive <i>A. florea</i> had significantly higher population densities than the wild, native <i>A. mellifera</i>. Nevertheless, we found no indication of competitive displacement, suggesting that although <i>A. florea</i> had a high invasive potential, it coexisted with the native <i>A. mellifera</i> along the river Nile. The genetic data indicated that the invasion of <i>A. florea</i> was established by a single colony.