An optimized DNA extraction protocol for Iranian honey bee

Unlike many organisms, insects, especially honey bees, have hard cuticles, which makes it difficult to extract DNA from them. The optimized general protocols for extracting DNA from plant tissues and blood are mostly used for extracting DNA from honey bees (Apis mellifera) and other species of the Apis genus. In these conditions, the extracted DNA is mostly of very low quality and has high protein and RNA contamination, which causes many problems during amplification in the polymerase chain reaction and subsequent stages of analysis. Considering the importance of DNA quality, the different results of the protocols used to extract DNA from honey bees in different laboratories, and the necessity of molecular research on Iranian honey bees, we will present the sampling method, the number of honey bee samples required, the storage conditions of the samples, Steps of the optimized protocol for extracting DNA from Iranian honey bees, and the methods for the quantity and quality of the extracted DNA in this article.