The Inheritance of Certain Quantitative Characters in the Ligustica X Fasciata Honeybee Hybrid1

Abstract

The F, (Italian x Egyptian) hybrid workers surpassed those of the pure Italian race in the measurements of most organs (except the lengths of hind basitarsus and first waxmirror) and showed some hybrid vigour in all characters. When the F| queenbees were backcrossed to Egyptian drones they produced workerbees with organs mostly smaller than those of both F/s and Italian workers unless in case of both hind-tibia and hind basitarsus, but they significantly exceeded those of the pure Egyptian workerbees.