@article{delaney_keller_caren_tarpy_2011, title={The physical, insemination, and reproductive quality of honey bee queens (Apis mellifera L.)}, volume={42}, ISSN={["1297-9678"]}, DOI={10.1051/apido/2010027}, abstractNote={Understanding the reproductive potential (“quality”) of queens bees can provide valuable insights into factors that influence colony phenotype. We assayed queens from various commercial sources for various measures of potential queen quality, including their physical characters (such as their degree of parasitism), insemination number (stored sperm counts), and effective paternity frequency (number of drone fathers among their offspring). We found significant variation in the physical, insemination, and mating quality of commercially produced queens, and we detected significant correlations within and among these various measures. Overall, the queens were sufficiently inseminated (3.99 ± 1.504 million sperm) and mated with an appropriate number of drones (effective paternity frequency: 16.0 ± 9.48). Importantly, very few of the queens were parasitized by tracheal mites and none were found with either Nosema species. These findings suggest possible mechanisms for assessing the potential fitness of honey bee queens without the need for destructive sampling.}, number={1}, journal={APIDOLOGIE}, author={Delaney, Deborah A. and Keller, Jennifer J. and Caren, Joel R. and Tarpy, David R.}, year={2011}, month={Jan}, pages={1–13} }
 @article{tarpy_caren_delaney_sammataro_finley_loper_degrandi-hoffman_2010, title={Mating frequencies of Africanized honey bees in the south western USA}, volume={49}, ISSN={["2078-6913"]}, DOI={10.3896/ibra.1.49.4.02}, abstractNote={Summary Emerging evidence suggests that there are significant adaptive advantages conferred to genetically diverse honey bee colonies through multiple matings with queens. We determined the intracolony genetic diversity of Africanized honey bee (AHB) colonies from a feral population in the south western USA. A total of 1,253 worker offspring were genotyped from 20 feral colonies (all but three of African mitotype), four managed AHB, three managed European honey bee (EHB), and four control colonies (headed by EHB queens instrumentally inseminated with one, two, five, or ten drones, respectively) using eight microsatellite markers. The 17 feral AHB queens mated with an average of 20.0 ± 6.53 (range 10–32) drones, resulting in effective paternity frequencies of 20.0 ± 8.46 (range 10.56–37.53), which is one of the highest mating numbers recorded within the species. Though Africanized honey bee colonies are among the most genetically diverse Apis mellifera yet recorded, their queen mating frequencies are within the expected range of the species overall, including African honey bees in their native range. The factors responsible for these findings are discussed.}, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH}, author={Tarpy, David R. and Caren, Joel R. and Delaney, Deborah A. and Sammataro, Diana and Finley, Jennifer and Loper, Gerald M. and DeGrandi-Hoffman, Gloria}, year={2010}, pages={302–310} }