Applying a SNP-based tool for conservation of wild and managed black bees in Ireland

Apis mellifera mellifera (Amm) is threatened over much of its natural range. However, in Ireland microsatellite and mitochondrial data have shown that a significant population of this subspecies exists in pure form and is spread over a large geographical region on the Island. Black bees have been managed and protected by beekeepers on the island, some of whom formed the Native Irish Honeybee Society (NIHBS)in 2012 and a breeding programme was initiated for Amm in 2014/2015. The application of a SNP panel that detects hybridization between M and C lineages clearly supports other data showing that the majority of beekeepers included in the breeding programme indeed have bees with very low to no introgression from the C lineage. Furthermore, SNP data has also been applied to the first feral bee colonies located in Ireland subsequent to the introduction of Varroa. Here we will present on the use of molecular data as an aid to manage and conserve honeybees in Ireland, and to elucidate patterns in colour variation and honeybee subspecies purity in wild and managed bees with a view towards improving conservation approaches in the face of a potential hybridization threat.