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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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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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Development, behaviour, productivity, and health status of the native honey bee Apis mellifera ruttneri vs. the introduced A. m. ligustica in Malta
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023-06-19)
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Mifsud, David
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Galea, Thomas
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Cutajar, Simone
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Zammit-Mangion, Marion
The tiny population of the endemic Maltese honey bee (A. m. ruttneri) is threatened by anthropogenic influences, such as urbanisation, habitat loss, and unsustainable agricultural practices, but most prominently by the importation of commercially important non-native stock. To obtain data on the colony life cycle parameters of <A. m. ruttneri> and to measure its apicultural performance in relation to imported <jats:italic>A. m. ligustica</jats:italic> under Maltese conditions, we conducted a comparative study between mid-2017 and early 2020. Over one full season, colonies of both subspecies (A. m. ruttneri) (n= 15) vs. A. m. ligustica (n = 18)) were regularly assessed for survival, colony size, behaviour, and presence of diseases. The comparative assessments were completed in September 2018, but monitoring and sampling of the surviving colonies of A. m. ruttneri continued until March 2020. Our results clearly indicate that the tested group of sister queens of <jats:italic>A. m. ruttneri is well adapted to the prevailing environmental conditions in Malta. The colonies survived significantly longer than the tested group of sister queens of A. m. ligustica and performed better in several parameters measured, their colony development, and health being well in tune with the environment. A. m. ruttneri received acceptable scores for behavioural traits (gentleness and calmness on the comb), showing potential for improvement by breeding. The results from this pioneering study clearly indicate that A. m. ruttneri, with its superior adaptation to Maltese conditions and the potential to improve by breeding, represents a prime option towards economically sound beekeeping on the Maltese archipelago.

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food

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