A single gene turns socially organized bees into social parasites

Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 09:30 in Biology & Nature

A small change in the genetic makeup of the South African Cape bee turns the socially organised animal into a fighting parasite. This change ensures that infertile worker bees begin to lay their own eggs and fight other colonies. In the current issue of the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, an international research team led by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) outlines for the first time the genetic basis for this rare phenomenon.

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