Genomic study explores evolution of gentle ‘killer bees’ in Puerto Rico

A study of Puerto Rico’s Africanized honey bees — which are more docile than other so-called ‘killer bees’ — shows they retain most of the genetic traits of their African honey bee ancestors, but that a few regions of their DNA have become more like those of European honey bees. These changes likely contributed to the bees’ rapid evolution toward gentleness in Puerto Rico, a change that occurred within 30 years, and could spell hope for beekeeping in North America.