Honey Bee Queen Replacement: An Analysis of Changes in the Preferences of Polish Beekeepers through Decades

Abstract

We conducted a survey on honey bee (Apis mellifera) queen management. Data were collected every year from 1980 to 2018. In total, 2964 questionnaires were collected from all over Poland. We examined the trends by decade timeslot, apiary size, and geographical location. Regardless of the decade and the size of the apiary, on average, above 90% of Polish beekeepers replace old queens with new ones in their colonies. In general, during the observed period, beekeepers replaced almost 52% of their queens, 21% of which were purchased. In the last decade, there was an upward trend in the percentage of beekeepers replacing queens throughout the country. The involvement of purchased queens in colony management is associated with the size of the apiary, and it significantly grows with the number of colonies in the apiary. The percentage of purchased queens went up in all the voivodeships over time. Research and education in this area are needed in order to track the trends and further improve Polish beekeepers’ practices.

Influence of model selection and data structure on the estimation of genetic parameters in honeybee populations

“…Apiary sizes play a crucial role in separating fixed and random effects, because colonies from the same apiary are usually attributed the same fixed effect. In comparison to other agricultural species, contemporary groups in honeybees tend to be small ( Andonov et al 2019 ; Bieńkowska et al 2020 ), which is likely to harm the accuracy of estimated genetic parameters ( Swalve 1995 ; Strabel and Swaczkowski 1999 ; Vasconcelos et al 2008 ).…”

Substantial Genetic Progress in the International Apis mellifera carnica Population Since the Implementation of Genetic Evaluation

“…Apis mellifera carnica, the Carniolan bee, originating from an area roughly bordered by the Alps in the northwest, the Carpathian Mountains in the northeast, the Mediterranean Sea in the southwest and the Albanian Alps in the south [1], has attracted the attention of many beekeepers worldwide [2]. In addition to their original distribution area, the Carnica is probably the most commonly kept subspecies in most Central and Northern European countries [3][4][5]. The distribution of A. m. carnica bees began in the 18th century from the Carniolan region, now Slovenia [1], and the rapid multiplication of colonies in the 19th century with swarms [6] had the side effect that colonies were selected for stronger swarming drive.…”

First record of Lithurgus cornutus (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae) from Poland

“…Although the species seems to tolerate lower temperatures than within the typical range of occurrence, this stressor may negatively affect larval development. Additionally, Puławy and Lublin, the localities where L. cornutus specimens were caught, are within one of the most apiary-dense region of Europe ( Bieńkowska et al 2020 ). Therefore, we assume that L. cornutus is under a strong pressure from managed honey bees due to competition over food resources, which also has a negative effect on body size in its offspring.…”