Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food

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Standard methods for rearing and selection of <i>Apis mellifera</i> queens 2.0
(Informa UK Limited, 2024-03-19)
Büchler, Ralph
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Bernstein, Richard
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Bienefeld, Kaspar
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Costa, Cecilia
Here, we cover a wide range of methods currently in use and recommended in modern queen rearing, selection, and breeding. The recommendations are meant to serve as standards for 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 subsection 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. Standardised recommendations for the organisation 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 that 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 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, ample references are given to facilitate comprehensive studies.
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Standard methods for rearing and selection of <i>Apis mellifera</i> queens 2.0
(Informa UK Limited, 2024-03-19)
Büchler, Ralph
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;
Bernstein, Richard
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Bienefeld, Kaspar
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Costa, Cecilia
Here, we cover a wide range of methods currently in use and recommended in modern queen rearing, selection, and breeding. The recommendations are meant to serve as standards for 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 subsection 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. Standardised recommendations for the organisation 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 that 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 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, ample references are given to facilitate comprehensive studies.
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Queen ringing vs. queen caging for summer brood interruption
(Informa UK Limited, 2024-05-30)
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Chen, Chao
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Gabel, Martin
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Kovačić, Marin
In many temperate regions, increasing temperatures in the autumn and winter result in shorter or even non-existent brood breaks in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies. This facilitates a year-round reproduction of Varroa destructor and corresponding pathogen pressure. To address this problem, introducing an artificial brood break during winter might be essential. On the other hand, queen caging in summer, as one of the most prominent brood interruption methods, has already been accepted as an effective way for Varroa control in honey bee colonies. In this study, we compared queen caging vs. queen ringing as a novel technique for inducing summer brood interruption.
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Economic aspects of honey bee queen breeding: insights from a European study
(Informa UK Limited, 2024-06-14)
Dimitrov, Lazo
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Costa, Cecilia
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Meixner, Marina D.
In 2017, the European Commission initiated the EurBeST study to explore the possibilities of using selective breeding of honey bees to increase Varroa resistance traits. One of the specific aims of the study was to assess the process of honey bee queen breeding through an economic analysis. The methodology for calculating the costs of queen production (queen rearing and mating), colony evaluation and expenses for estimating breeding values is based on the Cost of Production (CoP). Cost data were collected via tailor-made questionnaires and interviews performed in five European countries (France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Poland). The sample population consisted of 20 queen producers and 20 performance testers who participated in the study. The results showed that the average costs for queen production amounted to 22.58 per queen, ranging from 8.22 in Poland to 37.30 in France. The difference between the selling price and the production cost was on average 3.08 per queen, ranging from 15.86 in Germany to -12.30 in France. On average, the colony evaluation costs were 193.40 per colony. The average cost for breeding value estimation per queen was 8.09 . Thus, the average total cost per selected queen was 224 . The selective breeding of honey bees is an efficient way to increase productivity, reduce colony losses, improve bee health and enable profitable operations, but it is expensive, is usually promoted, practiced and implemented by scientists and researchers, and in most cases is financed by external sources.
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Give Varroa a Chance!
(Informa UK Limited, 2022-09-29)
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Costa, Cecilia
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Kovačić, Marin
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Effects of selection and local adaptation on resilience and economic suitability in Apis mellifera carnica
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020-06-19)
Kovačić, Marin
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Puškadija, Zlatko
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Dražić, Marica Maja
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Meixner, Marina D.
Modern techniques of selective breeding show high potential to improve economically important traits of honey bees. However, breeding may neglect fundamental rules of natural selection. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of selection and local adaptation on some relevant breeding traits of Apis mellifera carnica We compared open mated queens from three different origins: local Croatian genotypes that are under controlled selection since five generations (MS), a local genotype that was never under selective breeding (NS) and, finally, a non-local genotype from a long-lasting German breeding program (HS). Generally, colonies with queens from breeding programs had better scores for defensive behavior, calmness, and swarming. In contrast, colonies from the NS group showed higher expression of Varroa destructor resistance traits. Although the HS group showed the highest score in most of the behavioral traits, the low overwintering index of colonies from this group after both wintering periods indicated a lack of local adaptation. This research underlines the relevance of breeding activities for the resilience of honey bee populations and the achievement of local adaptation.</jats:p>
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Summer brood interruption as integrated management strategy for effective Varroa control in Europe
(Informa UK Limited, 2020-07-24)
Büchler, Ralph
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Kovačić, Marin
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Prešern, Janez
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Pietropaoli, Marco
Most Varroa induced colony losses occur during the autumn or winter season as a consequence of an elevated Varroa infestation level and an insufficient health status of the adult bees. Even with an initial low Varroa infestation in early spring, critical mite and virus infection levels can be reached before winter if colonies continuously rear brood throughout the whole season. To overcome this challenge, beekeepers can artificially interrupt brood production by suitable management procedures, depending on their type of beekeeping operation. To assess their efficacy, associated workload, and impact on colony development, different methods for brood interruption (queen caging with the combination of oxalic acid treatment, total brood removal, and trapping comb technique) were tested during two seasons in 11 locations on 370 colonies in10 European countries. A protocol was developed to standardize the methods’ application across different environmental conditions. The efficacy of queen caging depended on the mode of oxalic acid application and ranged from 48.16% to89.57% mite removal. The highest efficacies were achieved with trickling a 4.2% solution (89.57%) and with the sublimationof 2 g of oxalic acid (average of 88.25%) in the broodless period. The efficacy of the purely biotechnical, chemical-free trap-ping comb and brood removal methods did not differ significantly from the queen caging groups. We conclude that a proper application of one of the described brood interruption methods can significantly contribute to an efficient Varroacontrol and to the production of honey bee products meeting the highest quality and food-safety standards.
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Evaluation of Suppressed Mite Reproduction (SMR) Reveals Potential for Varroa Resistance in European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)
(MDPI AG, 2020-09-03)
Mondet, Fanny
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Parejo, Melanie
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Meixner, Marina D
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Costa, Cecilia
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Kryger, Per
In the fight against the Varroa destructor mite, selective breeding of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations that are resistant to the parasitic mite stands as a sustainable solution. Selection initiatives indicate that using the suppressed mite reproduction (SMR) trait as a selection criterion is a suitable tool to breed such resistant bee populations. We conducted a large European experiment to evaluate the SMR trait in different populations of honey bees spread over 13 different countries, and representing different honey bee genotypes with their local mite parasites. The first goal was to standardize and validate the SMR evaluation method, and then to compare the SMR trait between the different populations. Simulation results indicate that it is necessary to examine at least 35 single-infested cells to reliably estimate the SMR score of any given colony. Several colonies from our dataset display high SMR scores indicating that this trait is present within the European honey bee populations. The trait is highly variable between colonies and some countries, but no major differences could be identified between countries for a given genotype, or between genotypes in different countries. This study shows the potential to increase selective breeding efforts of V. destructor resistant populations.
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Cutting corners: The impact of storage and DNA extraction on quality and quantity of DNA in honeybee (Apis mellifera) spermatheca
(Frontiers Media SA, 2023)
Moškrič, Ajda
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Pavlin, Anja
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Mole, Katarina
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Marinč, Andraž
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Bubnič, Jernej
The purpose of our study was to investigate methods of short-term storage that allow preservation, transport and retrieval of genetic information contained in honeybee queen's spermatheca. Genotyping of the honeybee colony requires well ahead planned sample collection, depending on the type of data to be acquired. Sampling and genotyping of spermatheca's content instead of individual offspring is timesaving, allowing answers to the questions related to patriline composition immediately after mating. Such procedure is also cheaper and less error prone. For preservation either Allprotect Tissue Reagent (Qiagen) or absolute ethanol were used. Conditions during transportation were simulated by keeping samples 6-8 days at room temperature. Six different storing conditions of spermathecas were tested, complemented with two DNA extraction methods. We have analysed the concentration of DNA, RNA, and proteins in DNA extracts. We also analysed how strongly the DNA is subjected to fragmentation (through amplification of genetic markers ANT2 and tRNAleu-COX2) and whether the quality of the extracted DNA is suitable for microsatellite (MS) analysis. Then, we tested the usage of spermatheca as a source of patriline composition in an experiment with three instrumentally inseminated virgin queens and performed MS analysis of the extracted DNA from each spermatheca, as well as queens' and drones' tissue. Our results show that median DNA concentration from spermathecas excised prior the storage, regardless of the storing condition and DNA extraction method, were generally lower than median DNA concentration obtained from spermathecas dissected from the whole queens after the storage. Despite the differences in DNA yield from the samples subjected to different storing conditions there was no significant effect of storage method or the DNA extraction method on the amplification success, although fewer samples stored in EtOH amplified successfully in comparison to ATR storing reagent. However, we recommend EtOH as a storing reagent due to its availability, low price, simplicity in usage in the field and in the laboratory, and capability of good preservation of the samples for DNA analysis during transport at room temperature.
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Honey vs. Mite—A Trade-Off Strategy by Applying Summer Brood Interruption for Varroa destructor Control in the Mediterranean Region
(MDPI AG, 2023-09-07)
Kovačić, Marin
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Tlak Gajger, Ivana
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Pietropaoli, Marco
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Soroker, Victoria
In this study, we investigated the effect of queen caging on honey bee colonies’ post-treatment development and the optimal timing of method application on honey production during the main summer nectar flow. We conducted the study in nine apiaries (N = 9) across six Mediterranean countries, with a total of 178 colonies. The colonies were divided into three test groups: QC1, QC2, and C. The QC1 group involved queens caged for a total of 28 days before the expected harvesting day. In the QC2 group, queens were caged for 28 days, but only 14 days before the expected harvesting day. The C group consisted of queens that were not caged, and the colonies received common local treatments. In both the QC1 and QC2 groups, the colonies were treated with a 4.2% oxalic acid (OA) solution by trickling after the queen release. Our findings revealed no significant adverse effects (p > 0.05) on colony strength at the end of the study resulting from queen caging. However, significantly lower amounts of honey were extracted from the QC1 group compared to both the QC2 group (p = 0.001) and the C group (p = 0.009). Although there were no initial differences in Varroa destructor infestation between the groups, ten weeks later, a significantly higher infestation was detected in the C group compared to both the QC1 group (p < 0.01) and the QC2 group (p = 0.003). Overall, our study demonstrates that queen caging, in combination with the use of OA, is an effective treatment for controlling V. destructor. However, the timing of caging plays a crucial role in honey production outcomes.

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