Detection of Africanized bees in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

The distribution of the Africanized honey bee (AHB) in the Caribbean region is “patchy”, with some islands, such as Puerto Rico, testing positive for AHB since the mid 1990s, while other regions, including the Dominican Republic and Haiti appeared to be free of AHB. In this study we confirm, through molecular test of mitochondrial genetic material, that AHB is now present in managed colonies in the Dominican Republic. The presence of the Africanized mitotype was established using the cytochrome b/BglII assay. Results show that 39% of the colonies sampled displayed the African haplotype, and 73% apiaries had at least one Africanized colony. Six out of the eight provinces surveyed (excluding Santo Domingo and Dajabón) tested positive for the presence of AHB colonies. The results indicate that AHB is present in the Dominican Republic and that currently it may be more prevalent in the northwest region of the country. However, a more intensive survey is needed to confirm countrywide prevalence of the African genotype, and to examine the situation in neighboring Haiti.