Cross species graft
Guest post by Dean Haley
I have successfully converted 2 hockingsi hives into carbonaria hives in a process I’m calling a ‘cross species graft’. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time this has been attempted in stingless bees.
T.carbonaria and T.hockingsi are closely related species. It is possible to visually distinguish between these two species of bee which makes them ideal for this type of study. The carbonaria bee is slightly smaller than the hockingsi and has a very even spiral broodcomb. Hockingsi bees are slightly larger, have a different body posture, and the brood is arranged as a semi-comb.
T.hockingsi cross species graft
The first hockingsi box had been an eduction box on a log colony owned by Nick. The mother log colony placed many resources into the box and hockingsi brood was observed. However, some weeks later when the box was due for removal to a new location it was observed to be broodless and presumably queenless. Disks of carbonaria brood with queen cells were added to the box and the box was placed in its new location. Carbonaria callows were soon observed in the box and in due course the carbonaria queen mated and started laying. A carbonaria brood spiral was observed.
T. carbonaria cross species graft
I decided this was a good trick so I would do it again with more pictures. I used a hockingsi colony in a water meter box. I removed all the brood and queen to a wooden box and placed carbonaria brood with queen cell in the water meter box. This has successfully converted into a carbonaria colony as well.
One interesting observation was the hockingsi / carbonaria worker interactions when there were both species present in the box. When a carbonaria worker landed near the entrance the hockingsi guard bees would dash out and carefully inspect them. They must have smelled ok as they were then allowed to enter the hive.
These studies provide further opportunities for the care and propagation of stingless bees. Future work will include the reverse situation where a carbonaria colony is converted into hockingsi. There is also the possibility of using hockingsi worker bees and carbonaria brood in the increasingly popular ‘Brazilian Propagation’ technique.
Great post, very informative – thanks
If you want true hybrid experiment the go is.
1. Access to both species.
2. Remove ALL brood from one species.
3. allow that to sit a week and see if any queens remain that take over. Evident by new brood.
4. IF no new brood, then there is no queen. (if there is brood, repeat 2 and 3 til no brood)
5. add queen cells from other species
6. Resulting mating will be from existing drones of one species and queen from another species.
Of course the broodless hive must be isolated from any similar species to stop them recruiting a queen there.
One wonders what would result.
Hi Graham.
Thanks for the comments. The cross species graft was not intended to make hybrids. I believe my colonies are now carbonaria colonies.
This comes from a larger set of work with brood experiments.
Dean
no worries
It would be an interesting experiment to see if
1. would a mating of carbonaria and hockingsi even occur
2. If it did occur would the result be a viable hive with maybe hybrid vigor, a hive that produces more honey
3. Or would we get a worse result, sterile offspring, like mules
Just putting it out there
Hi Graham,
No worries. In actual fact carbonaria and hockingsi do (very rarely) make hybrids and they are fertile!
Look up RM Brito, 2014. Genetic architecture of the Tetragonula carbonaria species complex of stingless bees.
As you have said there are two perfect places to create synthetic hybrids. Taking carbonaria north to your area where natural populations of carbonaria are absent and only hockingsi drones available. Or the opposite taking hockingsi south into carbonaria only country.
One interesting observation in the 2014 genetic study was that most hybrids contained carbonaria genes and NORTHERN hockingsi genes. Seems that imports of northern hockingsi have been creating waves.
I do have 1 colony which might be a hybrid and know of other possible hybrids other people own. None of these have been dna tested.
Dean