Standard methods for rearing and selection ofApis melliferaqueens

Abstract

SummaryHere we cover a wide range of methods currently in use and recommended in modern queen rearing, selection and breeding. The recommendations are meant to equally serve as standards for both scientific and practical beekeeping purposes. The basic conditions and different management techniques for queen rearing are described, including recommendations for suitable technical equipment. As the success of breeding programmes strongly depends on the selective mating of queens, a subchapter is dedicated to the management and quality control of mating stations. Recommendations for the handling and quality control of queens complete the queen rearing section. The improvement of colony traits usually depends on a comparative testing of colonies. Standardized recommendations for the organization of performance tests and the measurement of the most common selection characters are presented. Statistical methods and data preconditions for the estimation of breeding values which integrate pedigree and performance data from as many colonies as possible are described as the most efficient selection method for large populations. Alternative breeding programmes for small populations or certain scientific questions are briefly mentioned, including also an overview of the young and fast developing field of molecular selection tools. Because the subject of queen rearing and selection is too large to be covered within this paper, plenty of references are given to facilitate comprehensive studies. Métodos estándar para la cría y selección de reinas de Apis mellifera ResumenSe describe una amplia gama de métodos actualmente en uso y recomendables sobre la cría actual de reinas, su selección y cruzamiento. Las recomendaciones tienen el propósito de servir de igual forma como estándares para fines apícolas tanto científicos como prácticos. Se describen las condiciones básicas y las diferentes técnicas de manejo para la cría de reinas, incluyendo recomendaciones para el equipo técnico adecuado. Dado que el éxito de los programas de mejora depende en gran medida el apareamiento selectivo de reinas, se dedica un subcapítulo a la gestión y control de calidad de las estaciones de apareamiento. Las recomendaciones para el manejo y control de calidad de las reinas completan la sección de cría de reinas. La mejora de las características de colonias por lo general, depende de ensayos comparativos entre colonias. Se presentan recomendaciones normalizadas para la organización de pruebas de rendimiento y la medición de los caracteres de selección más comunes. Aquellos métodos estadísticos y condiciones previas de datos para la estimación de valores de cruzamiento que integren los datos genealógicos y de rendimiento de tantas colonias como sea posible, se describen como los métodos de

Characteristics of Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera Carnica, Pollman 1879) Queens Reared in Slovenian Commercial Breeding Stations

“…The body weight of queens is influenced by the age at which the young larva is grafted, by genetic factors, and to a large extent, by external rearing conditions such as pasture abundance and weather conditions (Woyke, 1971;Weiss, 1974;Meyer, 1975;Skowronek et al, 2004;Büchler et al, 2013). It seems that a low frequency of Nosema and virus infections exert little influence on the general health and body weight of queen honey bees (Chen et al, 2005;Roy and Kryger, 2012).…”

Development of the Honey Bee Gut Microbiome throughout the Queen-Rearing Process

“…In managed colonies, the natural process of queen replacement, where an aging queen is superseded by a daughter queen, raised by her worker sisters from within the larval ranks, typically is prevented by beekeepers. Instead, intentionally bred queens are artificially introduced to a colony by beekeepers only after taking a circuitous path through several other related and unrelated host colonies (22,23).…”

Wintering Reserve Queens in Mini-Plus and 3-Comb Nuclei

“…We used different breeding queens each year at each center. Queens sisters of Apis mellifera carnica subspecies were reared in free-flying queenless starter colonies (Büchler et al, 2013). New sister queens were reared each year.…”

“…Wintering queens in mating nuclei might be cheaper than importing queens if queen-rearing beekeepers had a great number of nuclei with egg-laying queens at their disposal in autumn. Previously, these nuclei with egg-laying queens had to be eliminated after the end of the breeding season (Büchler et al, 2013). The reasons mentioned above triggered the efforts to develop an effective method of overwintering reserve queens in mini-plus mating and in 3-comb nuclei.…”