Genetic study of olfactory structures in the antennae of two Apis mellifera subspecies

The number of antennal olfactory discs was studied in africanized and Italian bees and in the descendants of their crossings. Unidimensional analysis showed that segment 4 of the antenna is the one with the highest discriminatory power between the two subspecies studied. Italian bees have a greater amount of olfactory structures. The data for samples of${\rm F}_{1}$workers show no indication of dominance or of typical Mendelian segregation. The data obtained for samples of backcross worker progeny have a normal distribution, a fact suggesting additive polygenic inheritance in the control of this trait.