Feral and domesticated honey bees were collected across the island state of Tasmania, Australia, and typed for malate dehydrogenase and a mitochondrial DNA polymorphism. They were also compared morphometrically with reference specimens of Apis mellifera ligustica and A. m. mellifera from Europe. These measures were correlated with temperature and elevation. In warmer coastal regions, the two subspecies readily hybridize and most samples showed evidence of considerable hybridization. In cooler mountain regions, there is much less hybridization, with the A. m. mellifera subspecies characteristics strongly predominating. There is no evidence for cytonuclear incompatibilities between these subspecies or for dines caused by direct selection. We hypothesize that A. m. ligustica and F1 hybrids have lower fitness than A. m. mellifera in cooler regions, and that there may be assortative mating in cooler regions only. The significance of these results for the understanding of honey bee hybrid zones in Europe is discussed.

Seven microsatellite markers identified by probing clones made from a honeybee population from Victoria, Australia with a GA oligonucleotide are polymorphic in collections of honeybees from Iberia. Five of the microsatellites are GA repeats (three perfect repeats, two imperfect repeats, and one interrupted perfect repeat); of two others found in (GA) n -containing clones, one is a perfect AT repeat and one a mononucleotide T repeat. A further perfect GA repeat is monomorphic in the Iberian bees. Primer sequences are given for each of these microsatellites, and for seven others either not amplifying or giving multiple bands under the conditions used, or which were not tested. In all, eighteen microsatellites were found in twelve clones. One clone contained a minisatellite repeat, not assayed for polymorphism.

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of a PCR‐amplified region of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) including a large part of the cytochrome b gene revealed four haplotypes among worker ants from 75 colonies of the queenless ant Rhytidoponera sp. 12. The DGGE results were checked by sequencing examples of the haplotypes; all changes were transitions and two haplotypes differed by only a single substitution. Previous work (e.g. Crozier et al. 1984) showed that intranest relatedness is low for nuclear genes yet neighbouring nests are related; gene flow via winged males appeared the best explanation for this phenomenon. Two mtDNA haplotypes were found in 34.7% of the colonies studied, showing that female movement also occurs between nests. Migration of mated individuals on such a large scale when the number of reproductives is relatively small is unexpected (Crozier & Pamilo 1996). An observed tendency to clumping of the haplotypes is in accordance with the wingless nature of the female dispersers.