Genetic study of the aggressiveness of two subspecies of Apis mellifera in Brazil. IV. Number of stings in the gloves of the observer.

Data are analyzed on an aspect of aggressiveness in workers from colonies of Africanized bees (Apis mellifera adansonii), Italian bees (Apis mellifera ligustica), their F1 hybrids, and backcrosses of the F1 to the parental stocks (Rothenbuhler method). The segregation values (3:1) in the backcrosses to the Africanized stock and nonsegregation in the backcrosses to the Italian stock suggest the existence of two pairs of genes (F1/F1; F2/F2 IN THE Italian bees and f1/f1; f2/f2 in the Africanized bees) which control a character defined of the number of stings in the gloves of the observer.