The origin of western honey bees identified in Asia

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For decades, scientists have hotly debated the origin of the western honey bee. Now, new research led by York University has discovered these popular honey-producing bees most likely originated in Asia.

From there, the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) expanded independently into Africa and Europe creating seven separate geographically and genetically distinct evolutionary lineages traceable back to Western Asia.

The research team sequenced 251 genomes from 18 subspecies from the honey bee's native range and used this data to reconstruct the origin and pattern of dispersal of honey bees. The team found that an Asian origin—likely Western Asia—was strongly supported by the genetic data.

"Our research suggests that a core-set of genes allowed the honey bee to adapt to a diverse set of environmental conditions across its native range by regulating worker and colony behaviour," says York University Ph.D. student Kathleen Dogantzis of the Faculty of Science, who led the research.

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In college I took a beekeeping course just so I could visit an apiary to drink wine and eat cheese 

Jokes aside, bees do play a very important role in nature