Determining the genetic diversity and population structure of non-managed honey bee (Apis mellifera) nests collected throughout North Carolina

The status of feral honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations in the United States has been in question since the arrival and establishment of Varroa destructor (Anderson and Truman), an ectoparasitic brood mite. The last large-scale inventory of feral populations occurred almost two decades ago, which revealed that the genetic composition of feral populations was different and more diverse than commercial populations. With rising health problems threatening commercial honey bee stocks, there is a need to re-inventory the feral honey bee population to possibly identify varroa-tolerant genotypes as well as to quantify the genetic differences between feral and commercial honey bee populations. We collected from over one hundred feral honey bee nests throughout the state of North Carolina at different degrees of geographic scale and from distinct physiographic regions. We analyzed the samples using both mitochondrial and microsatellite markers to determine the genetic ancestry of these nests as well as the genetic diversity within and among these non-managed populations. Our preliminary results suggest significant differences in population structure within the feral samples, which may provide valuable insights into utilizing these non-managed genotypes.