Inbreeding and heterosis in queen bees in relation to brood area and honey production

1988 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 959 ◽  
Author(s):  
BP Oldroyd ◽  
RD Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Queen Bees

The brood area and weight gain of colonies headed by hybrid queens were compared with those headed by their inbred parentals. Although the colonies headed by hybrid queens had increased brood production, this did not lead to increased honey production. There was a significant increase in the longevity of hybrid queens compared with inbreds, and this alone may justify their use by apiarists.

Reduced worker relatedness does not affect cooperation in honey bee colonies

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 1542-1545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn M Underwood ◽  
Michael J Lewis ◽  
James F Hare
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Kin Selection ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Production Worker ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Drone Brood ◽  
Bee Colonies

Although kin selection is commonly regarded as a major force in the evolution and maintenance of social behaviour in eusocial insects, recent controversy regarding whether honey bee (Apis mellifera L., 1758) workers can discriminate close kin from more distant relatives casts doubt on the extent to which cooperation among individuals within honey bee colonies is controlled by genetic relatedness. We contrasted brood and honey production in colonies where we diluted worker relatedness with those elements of productivity in colonies where relatedness was unmanipulated. Relatedness manipulation did not affect overall brood production, worker or drone brood production, the worker to drone brood sex ratio, or the volume of honey produced. Thus, there is no evidence that honey bees discriminate close from distant relatives or, more importantly, that dilution of the coefficient of relatedness within a colony has any impact on the efficiency of that colony.

Multiple Africanized Bee Stings in a Child

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-117
Author(s):  
Barbara K. Ariue
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Tropical Climate ◽  
Apis Mellifera Scutellata ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
African Honey Bees ◽  
Queen Bees ◽  
Africanized Bees

African honey bees, Apis mellifera scutellata (formerly adsonii) were imported to Brazil in 1956 to introduce a strain of bees with increased honey production which were more suited for the tropical climate.1,2 A year later, 26 African queen bees and their accompanying colonies accidentally escaped.1,2 The African queen bees soon began mating with established European bee races resulting in the hybrid Africanized honey bees.2 Like the pure African bees, the Africanized bees are more defensive with a greater tendency to sting than European bees.3 They respond quickly to the slightest disturbance of their nest and can send out many thousands of bees.

scholarly journals The Effects of Age of Grafted Larvae and of Supplemental Feeding on Performance of Iranian Honey Bee Colonies (Apis Mellifera Meda)

2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-117
Author(s):  
Ali Mahbobi ◽  
Jerzy Woyke ◽  
Saeed Abbasi ◽  
Mohammadbagher Farshineh-Adl ◽  
Ahmad Malakzadegan
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Supplemental Feeding ◽  
Defense Behavior ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Apis Mellifera Meda ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Bee Colonies

Abstract The performance of bee colonies greatly depends on the quality of the queens. The current research was conducted at the apiary of the Faculty of Agriculture, Zanjan University, in Zanjan, Iran. Together, 24 rearing colonies were assigned to 4 grafting larvae age groups: 1-day-old, 2-day-old, 3-day-old, and emergency queens. Two feeding groups, fed and not fed, were created. The effects of reared queens on biological characteristics and performance of honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera meda) headed by those queens were measured. Age of grafted larvae significantly influenced the results. The performance ratios of the most efficient colonies headed by queens reared from 1-day-old larvae compared with the least-efficient queens reared from 3-day-old larvae were 118% in brood production, 140% in bee population, and 154% in honey production. However, the age of grafted larvae did not affect colony defense behavior. Supplemental feeding of rearing colonies increased brood production to 111%, bee population to 116%, and honey production to 115%. A combination of the effect of age of larvae and supplemental feeding resulted in twice as much honey (12 kg) produced by colonies with queens reared from 1-day-old larvae in fed rearing colonies compared to those with queens raised from 3-day-old larvae in unfed rearing colonies.

scholarly journals Bal Arısı Şurubuna Katılan Bitki Ekstraktı ve Yağlarından Oluşan Karışımının Koloni Gelişimi ve Bal Verimi Üzerine Etkileri

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Bekret ◽  
Soner Çankaya ◽  
Sibel Silici
Keyword(s):  
Plant Extract ◽  
Test Group ◽  
Physiological Characteristics ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Group 1

This study during the spring of 2014, effects of plant extract and oil mixture obtained from various plants added to the syrup given to the forces equalized bee on physiological characteristics of the colonies were examined. Bee colonies (10 colonies in each group) were randomly divided into two groups. When the first group feed syrup and plant extract oil mixture, at the same rate with feed syrup only test group to control group (1/1 sucrose-water) was applied. According to the research results, the plant extract-oil mixture was not effective on the number of frames and hive weight. The mixture although numerically increased the amount of brood rearing area, this effect was not statistically significant. However, provided statistically significant increase in honey production. We concluded that, while the plant extract-oil mixture tested is not effective in brood production, is effective on honey production.

Evaluation of the Western Australian queen bee breeding program

1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 513 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Manning
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Program ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Coastal Heath ◽  
Queen Bees ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
Data Group ◽  
Nectar Flow ◽  
Group 1

Agriculture Western Australia's former Queen Bee Breeding Program (QBBP) was successful in significantly raising the productivity of honey bee colonies for those beekeepers who regularly purchased queen bees from the program. The increased productivity was measured through honey production. Over 2 nectar flows, colonies headed by queens purchased from the breeding program (group 2) showed a 35% increase in honey production over unselected colonies (group 1-not purchased from the QBBP). Over individual nectar flows, colonies headed by queens purchased from the breeding program showed a 22% increase in honey production from a Eucalyptus calophylla nectar flow, and for a second protracted winter nectar flow from coastal heath they also produced 46% more honey than unselected queen bees. Honey production (kg/colony.day) from Eucalyptus calophylla was 0.95 and 1.13 kg for groups 1 and 2, respectively. Honey production from the coastal heath was 0.27 and 0.4 kg/colony.day for groups 1 and 2, respectively. Results were projected for 1 year and scaled up to represent a commercial apiary of 400 colonies. According to estimates from the data, group 2 beekeepers should have benefited from the QBBP by being able to produce 24 t of honey from their apiaries, valued in excess of $A32 000, more than group 1 beekeepers.

Diallel crosses of honeybees. II A note presenting an estimate of the heritability of honey production under Australian conditions

1987 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 651 ◽  
Author(s):  
BP Oldroyd ◽  
C Moran ◽  
FW Nicholas
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Combining Ability ◽  
Additive Genetic Variance ◽  
Diallel Cross ◽  
Environmental Variance ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Combining Ability Analysis ◽  
Phenotypic Standard Deviation ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Partial Diallel

A partial diallel cross of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) was formed. Combining ability analysis of variance was used to estimate additive and non-additive genetic variance in seasonal colony weight gain for the artificial 'population' studied. The values determined were: general combining ability variance, 12.14 kg2 (s.e., 11.42); specific combining ability variance, 11 -96 kg2 (s.e., 13.71); environmental variance, 21.65 kg2 (s.e., 8.84); heritability of honey production, 0.42 (s.e., 0.24). The phenotypic standard deviation was 7.6 kg.The results suggest that selection for colony weight gain would be successful.

Genes Play Role In Weight-Gain Risk, Behaviors

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Kerri Wachter
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Risk Behaviors
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