Problem Statement: Bee keepers in the winter rainfall (western Cape) region of South Africa have colonies of Apis mellifera capensis, the Cape honeybee, whereas beekeepers in the summer rainfall region of the country have colonies of a different subspecies, Apis mellifera scutellata, the African honeybee. When beekeepers moved honeybee colonies from the western Cape into the summer rainfall region, the population of African honeybees was threatened. According to legislation designed to protect pollinators essential for agriculture, any A. m. scutellata colonies that have A. m. capensis laying workers must be killed within 48 hours. Typically, only a very few Cape bee workers invade scutellata colonies. Correctly identifying their presence is therefore of paramount importance to minimizing the number of colonies killed. However, no clear-cut taxonomic method to distinguish between the workers of the two subspecies is available. The protection of African honeybee colonies is also important for biodiversity because the trapping of tens of thousands of wild bee swarms annually by beekeepers is impacting on the pollination of wild flora.

Methods: At present worker bees are dissected, the spermatheca measured, and the number of ovarioles in each ovary counted. These data give a good indication of the subspecies, but obtaining the information results in the destruction of the specimens. An alternative approach involves a visual examination of live workers in queen-less colonies, however this is not as accurate as the dissection method.

Outcomes and impacts: The lack of a robust taxonomic method of distinguishing honeybee subspecies results in ongoing, unnecesary elimination of African bee colonies falsely suspected of containing Cape bees. Despite legislation to protect their populations, the numbers of African honeybee colonies needed for pollination of fruits and vegetables is therefore continuing to decline.

Lessons: Implementation of the legislation to protect the African honeybee requires new, robust and non-destructive taxonomic methods to distinguish the two subspecies if unwanted destruction of bee colonies is to be avoided. Accurate keys or, ideally, molecular analysis of samples taken from specimens may provide the solution. Such methods would be significantly more accurate, rapid, robust and non-destructive than current procedures.