Queen Production Research Articles

Economic aspects of honey bee queen breeding: insights from a European study

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.

Queen Bee Rearing Trials: Making the Hive to the Production of Queen Cells

With a view to implementing a method of producing and breeding bees to ensure their increase in hives, replace aging queens and create new colonies in the event of desertion, an experimental study of breeding trials of queens of the bees were conducted in the C2GA beekeeping farm (Gassana Gafolai Cooperative of Affem Boussou) in the prefecture of Tchamba, canton of Affem, located 18 km from the town of Tchamba to the East (in the Central region). Given the time of the research internship which was granted to us for the writing of our dissertation with a view to obtaining the Professional License in Agricultural Sciences, this experience only lasted three (03) months. She particularly took into account the first stages of breeding: from the manufacture of the hive to the production of the queen cells. The last stage, which concerns the production of queens, was not reached due to an unfavorable beekeeping season and lack of time. The experiment was carried out on ten (10) Dadant-type hives subjected to three (03) methodologies and distributed as follows: two (02) hives for the grafting method, three (03) hives for the Alley method and five (05) hives for the natural method. The results obtained were more conclusive with the natural method. In fact, only the natural method allowed us to obtain queen cells. This study must be summarized and continued during the different honey flow periods and extended to other farms to better facilitate the choice of the best method of production and breeding of queen bees adapted to Togo.

Resource gaps pose the greatest threat for bumblebees during the colony establishment phase

Abstract A common management intervention to support declining wild pollinators is ‘pollinator planting’. However, despite years of inclusion in conservation initiatives, global pollinator declines continue. Using the agent‐based model BEE‐STEWARD with two example species, Bombus terrestris (L. 1758) and B. pascuorum (Scopoli, 1763) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), we explore when during the year bumblebee resource demand is the highest and how that relates to seasonal changes in colony composition (numbers of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults). We then examine the impact of two‐week periods of resource scarcity across the year. Finally, we explore how enhancement with early spring‐blooming herbaceous species or trees changes colony survival and queen production. In the United Kingdom, there is a previously under‐appreciated ‘hungry gap’ for bumblebees in March–April, before the peak flight period, driven by the demands of larvae for protein and thermoregulation in the colony, rather than the number of adult bees. A 2‐week gap in forage availability during this period drives a 50%–87% drop in the production of daughter queens. Adding early‐blooming species in the model had significant, positive, long‐term effects on colony survival probability and daughter queen production. Pollinator‐planting initiatives in both national and international conservation schemes need to include plants that flower up to 1 month before the adults of target social pollinator species are apparent in the field, during the period that larvae dominate the colony. This approach is likely to increase colony survival and queen production, contributing towards halting and reversing global pollinator decline.

Increased Mass-Rearing of Queens in High Royal-Jelly-Producing Honey Bee Colonies (Apis mellifera ligustica) Generates Smaller Queens with Comparable Fecundity

The mass rearing of high-quality queen bees is an essential beekeeping practice for producing new queens to maintain colony productivity. A strain of high royal-jelly-producing bees (RJBs; Apis mellifera ligustica) in China exhibits high potential for the rapid mass rearing of queens. To explore the potential changes in the quality of mass-reared queens, a set of morphometric traits and the sealed brood area were compared between the queens reared from 64 and 320 queen cells in RJB colonies. The increase in the queen cell number was found to induce a slightly but significantly reduced body weight and smaller wing length and thorax width in the reared queens at emergence. However, the ovariole number and sealed brood area, an indicator of the queen fecundity, were not observed to be significantly influenced. With respect to body weight and ovariole number, all the reared queens satisfied the current criteria for high-quality queens. Our findings provide evidence for the efficient mass production of high-quality queens using RJB colonies.

Evaluation for effectiveness of quality queen production training: a case study from Beekeeping Development Program, Chitwan, Nepal

ABSTRACT Beekeeping in Nepal has a rich history, and training programs have emerged as transformative agents in the industry’s development. This study assesses the effectiveness of quality queen production training offered by the Beekeeping Development Program in Chitwan, Nepal held in March/April 2023. The research design employed a quantitative approach to evaluate participants’ reactions, changes in knowledge, and skill levels before and after training. The statistical test involved a paired t-test. The study found that participants exhibited strong motivations for training, with a particular emphasis on increasing honey productivity and knowledge-sharing. Significant improvements in both knowledge and skill levels were observed after training, underlining the program’s positive impact. The study highlights the critical role of training programs in beekeeping development and suggests the potential for improved product quality, colony performance, and additional income. Overall, the findings emphasize the need to prioritize and expand similar training programs in the beekeeping industry.

Toward greater realism in inclusive fitness models: the case of caste fate conflict in insect societies.

In the field of social evolution, inclusive fitness theory has been successful in making a wide range of qualitative predictions on expected patterns of cooperation and conflict. Nevertheless, outside of sex ratio theory, inclusive fitness models that make accurate quantitative predictions remain relatively rare. Past models dealing with caste fate conflict in insect societies, for example, successfully predicted that if female larvae can control their own caste fate, an excess should opt to selfishly develop as queens. Available models, however, were unable to accurately predict levels of queen production observed in Melipona bees-a genus of stingless bees where caste is self-determined-as empirically observed levels of queen production are approximately two times lower than the theoretically predicted ones. Here, we show that this discrepancy can be resolved by explicitly deriving the colony-level cost of queen overproduction from a dynamic model of colony growth, requiring the incorporation of parameters of colony growth and demography, such as the per-capita rate at which new brood cells are built and provisioned, the percentage of the queen's eggs that are female, costs linked with worker reproduction and worker mortality. Our revised model predicts queen overproduction to more severely impact colony productivity, resulting in an evolutionarily stable strategy that is approximately half that of the original model, and is shown to accurately predict actual levels of queen overproduction observed in different Melipona species. Altogether, this shows how inclusive fitness models can provide accurate quantitative predictions, provided that costs and benefits are modeled in sufficient detail and are measured precisely.

The Effect of Production Method on Local Honeybee Queens, Apis mellifera L. to Determine the Acceptance Rate of Grafted Larvae and Live Weight of Virgin Queens in Latakia Governorate

Asaad, M., M. Omran, N.Z. Hujeij and K. Makis. 2024. The Effect of Production Method on Local Honeybee Queens, Apis mellifera L. to Determine the Acceptance Rate of Grafted Larvae and Live Weight of Virgin Queens in Latakia Governorate. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 42(2): 155-161. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001239 This research was conducted at the Scientific Agricultural Research Center in Latakia during 2020 season to study the effect of queen production method (with and without queens) on the acceptance rate of grafted larvae and weight of virgin queens emerging from local bee colonies under the Syrian coast conditions, using wax and plastic cups with dry and wet grafting. The acceptance rate of larvae was 83.33 and 91.66%, and weights of virgin queens were 0.178, 0.198 g in queen rearing colonies with and without queens, respectively, in the wax cups with wet grafting and with a total number of 16 cups/colony, whereas the acceptance rate of larvae was 86.66 and 80.00 % and weights of virgin queens was 0.178 and 0.169 g, respectively, in colonies without or with restricted queens rearing colonies, in the wax cups with wet grafting and a total number of 20 cups/colony. The difference in the average weights of queens in both methods was significant. Keywords: Colonies with queens, queenless colonies, bees, Latakia, Syria.

IN VITRO SPERMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN DRONES

Honey bees are an indispensable element of the ecosystem, as they provide an important part of plant pollination beyond food production. The queen bee, which forms the core of the bee colony, is at the center of bee production in the beekeeping sector. Undoubtedly, the production of high-quality queen bees primarily depends on suitable drones and therefore, quality sperm. In addition, artificial insemination of queen bees is a successful production method, as in other species, due to its superior characteristics compared to natural mating. In many apiaries and research centers, artificial insemination is used routinely for queen production. One of the advantages of this method is that the sperm can be preserved for the short or long term. In this respect, it is very effective in protecting genetic resources, preventing bee diseases and facilitating bee transportation. Today, spermatological studies and parameters used in drones are very few compared to other species. With the increasing importance given to the subject in recent years, many spermatological parameters have started to be used in honey bees. However, the morphological and physiological differences of drone semen require the development and standardization of these parameters with further studies. In this review, the spermatological parameters used in drone semen, together with the working principles and materials used, were examined in general terms and presented to the readers.

Supplemental feeding coupled with different grafting techniques ensures better quality of queen honey bees

The quality of queens (Apis mellifera L.) is essential for the maintenance and development of A. mellifera honey bee colonies and can be obtained in several ways. However, a combination of different techniques can facilitate this process. This research was carried out to evaluate the Africanized honey bee queen production with the supply of fermented and unfermented additives using the techniques of single and double larvae grafting through assessment of morphometric characteristics, ovarian histology and supplement consumed by colonies. The queens were produced in 30 colonies: one group without supplemental feeding, one with fermented, and one with non-fermented supplemental feeding, with two grafting techniques. The use of unfermented supplements and the double grafting technique improved the quality of queen honey bees (p < 0.05). Also, the highest supplement consumption occurred when colonies were stimulated to produce queens. Therefore, the results shown herein are relevant for improving production processes and the quality of queen bees.

Queen quality, performance, and winter survival of imported and domestic honey bee queen stocks

Canadian beekeepers have faced high colony mortality each winter over the last decade. Frequently citing “poor queen quality” as a top contributing factor to colony loss, Canadian beekeepers report needing to replace half their queens each year. Domestic queen production exists throughout Canada but is limited due to the short season and can be further limited when colony mortality is high. Consequently, Canadian beekeepers import over 260,000 queens annually, primarily from locations with warmer climates. In this study, newly mated imported queens from Hawaii (USA) and New Zealand were compared to domestic Canadian queens produced in British Columbia; these stocks were evaluated on their morphological and sperm storage characteristics. Stock quality was also evaluated in the field at two locations in Alberta, Canada over two production seasons. Our results show initial variation in queen morphology and fertility among imported and domestic queen stocks. Most striking, the New Zealand queens weighed 10–13% less than the Hawaii and British Columbia queens, respectively upon arrival. Colony performance over a two-year field study suggests: (1) brood pattern solidness has a positive nonlinear correlation with honey production regardless of queen stock and environment; (2) environment (i.e., apiary location) and queen stock variably predict colony health and productivity depending on year; specifically, apiary site appears to be a stronger predictor of colony health and productivity than queen stock in year one, but in year two, queen stock appears to be a stronger predictor than apiary site; (3) high clinical symptoms of chalkbrood may explain the prevalence of poor brood patterns in colonies headed by queens from New Zealand; (4) domestic queens are 25% more likely to survive winter in Alberta than imported queens. Therefore, it is important to consider possible mismatches in disease immunity and climate conditioning of imported queen stocks heading colonies in temperate regions that face drastically different seasonal climates and disease ecology dynamics.

ASSESSMENT OF ECONOMICALLY USEFUL TRAITS OF BEE BREED IN THE SOUTHERN OF KAZAKHSTAN

Uncontrolled import of bee colonies leads to the metisation of bred breeds in our country. Breed testing of bees involves identifying the most promising breeds not only for the use of various sources of bribes, but also for accelerated development and increase in the number of families, and of course pollination of crops. To prevent the metisation of bees, researchers periodically monitor the breed composition and economically useful signs. It has been established that the growth rate of a bee family characterizes its winter hardiness and directly affects productivity. Based on this feature, queen bees with the highest egg production should be selected for breeding. More dynamic egg laying is observed in IE "Demidov" of the steppe zone averaged 919.6 pieces, and in IE "Gostinin" of the steppe zone, the egg production of queens is less by 2 pieces. The foothill and mountain zone lags behind the steppe zone by 14.6 eggs. The productivity of bee colonies also depends on the number of migrations to flowering honey plants. For example, when comparing the average honey productivity and wax productivity, variability is observed between stationary and nomadic content.

Evidence of queen-rearing suppression by mature queens in the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata.

The little fire ant (LFA), Wasmannia auropunctata, is a serious invasive pest first reported on Hawaii Island in 1999, and has since spread and established itself across the island. LFA is considered one of the worst 100 invasive species and has significant ecological, agricultural, and public health impacts in invaded areas, which include much of the tropical New World. Although localized eradication efforts have proven successful, they are intensive and difficult to implement. Furthermore, LFA's high invasive-ability resists these control efforts in areas where the species is established and can re-infest treated areas. This research set out to determine whether LFA queens have a suppressant effect on new queen production in nests, as a first step in identifying a potential queen pheromone for LFA. A queen pheromone could offer a means to shutdown LFA reproductive capability, potentially by suppressing the production of new queens or inducing the execution of queens or queen-destined larvae. When queenless experimental nests and polygyne experimental nests were compared, six out of eight queenless nests successfully reared both new alate queens (2.25 queens/nest) and drones (3.63 drones/nest) to adulthood, whereas only three of eight polygyne nests reared sexual larvae that failed to develop to adulthood or even the pupal stage. These results suggest that dealate mature LFA queens suppress the production of new alate queens in LFA nests, and is the first evidence that LFA may utilize a queen pheromone.

Sunflower plantings reduce a common gut pathogen and increase queen production in common eastern bumblebee colonies.

Community diversity can reduce the prevalence and spread of disease, but certain species may play a disproportionate role in diluting or amplifying pathogens. Flowers act as both sources of nutrition and sites of pathogen transmission, but the effects of specific plant species in shaping bee disease dynamics are not well understood. We evaluated whether plantings of sunflower (Helianthus annuus), whose pollen reduces infection by some pathogens when fed to bees in captivity, lowered pathogen levels and increased reproduction in free-foraging bumblebee colonies (Bombus impatiens). Sunflower abundance reduced the prevalence of a common gut pathogen, Crithidia bombi, and reduced infection intensity, with an order of magnitude lower infection intensity at high sunflower sites compared with sites with little to no sunflower. Sunflower abundance was also positively associated with greater queen production in colonies. Sunflower did not affect prevalence of other detected pathogens. This work demonstrates that a single plant species can drive disease dynamics in foraging B. impatiens, and that sunflower plantings can be used as a tool for mitigating a prevalent pathogen while also increasing reproduction of an agriculturally important bee species.

Behavioural evolution of Neotropical social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae): the queen selection process.

All Epiponini wasps are polygynic, with multiple queens alternating over the colony cycle. There are several potential queens in the early stages of this cycle, but as it progresses, the number of queens is reduced. Because most individuals remain reproductively totipotent, there is great potential for conflicts over reproduction. Workers could have an advantage in controlling queen production because they are much more numerous than queens. Nevertheless, the queen selection process is little known for Epiponini. For this reason, we aimed to study the behaviour of queens and workers during queen selection in multiple species of Epiponini, integrate information from previous behavioural studies, and perform a comparative analysis to interpret changes evolutionarily. We conducted observations on nine species belonging to five genera: Brachygastra, Chartergellus, Metapolybia, Polybia and Protopolybia. Females were individually marked to make direct and video observations. Queen production was artificially induced. A total of 28 behaviours related to queen selection were identified. The most aggressive interactions between castes, such as bite and dart, were lost in the major lineages of Epiponini. Bending display I is an ancient behaviour used as the main dominance display. Behaviours exhibited by workers to test queen status arose in the common ancestor of the Epiponini and are not shared by other polistine wasps. Consequently, the act of workers testing queen status probably was present in the Epiponini ancestor. Ritualized test display and dominance behaviours are used in Epiponini as honest signals of the queen's reproductive potential instead of aggressive behaviours. Caste flexibility had already been suggested as the ground plan for Epiponini and is herein discussed as decisive for colony survival of swarm wasps, because it allows colonies to respond efficiently to different situations that may eventually arise.

İstanbul İli Şile İlçesinde Arıcılık Faaliyetlerinde Kimyasal Kullanımının Değerlendirilmesi

The province of Istanbul, Şile District has a very advantageous position for beekeeping in terms of its geographical structure and vegetation. The main purpose of this research is to reveal some general characteristics of the beekeeping producers in the Şile District of Istanbul, to evaluate the use of chemicals, and to determine the problems in the production stages. In this evaluation on beekeeping activities, the data obtained through the questionnaire applied to 69 beekeepers in 36 villages in Şile Region were used. With the questions asked in this survey study, detailed data were obtained on many subjects such as the education status of the producers, their experiences, bee colony assets, honey yields, and diseases and pests control. The issues in beekeeping activities are discussed as education, queen production or supply, diseases and pests control. It has been found that the winter colony losses are quite high and the productivity is quite low in the region.

The use of protein and other biologically active substances in feeding honey bees

In the presented work, the issue of the use of protein feeds with biologically active additives to increase the nutritional value of artificial feeds is considered. This approach makes it possible to introduce various sources of protein, amino acids, vitamins into the bee feed, as well as enzymes to relieve the load on the bee's body for digesting substances, growth-stimulating drugs based on organic acids, etc. Experiments conducted in 2018 on feeding candi bees to the composition, which included isolated soy protein, apple cider vinegar, showed the following results. In the control group, bees actively ate top dressing, however, in some bee families, the presence of yellowish-brown liquid excrement was noted, which indicated the presence of nosematosis. Bees from the experimental groups also actively consumed candi, but with the addition of soy isolate and apple cider vinegar, while the frames were clean, there were no spots of diarrhea and podmore. The Federal Scientific Center of Beekeeping is conducting research on the development of various formulations of feedings for honey bees. For the approbation of carbohydrate feeds with the inclusion of enzyme compositions in them, appropriate studies were conducted. 3 experimental groups were formed on the principle of pairs of analogues. The control group received sugar syrup, the first – inverted syrup, and the second group - inverted syrup enriched with flower pollen fermentolysate. Feeding of the presented feedings had an impact on the flight activity of bee colonies. Thus, the control group had the lowest flight activity. In the experimental groups, the flight activity of bee colonies was higher. In addition to the flight activity of bee colonies, the average daily egg production of queens was studied. In the control group, the average daily egg production of the uterus was at the level of 550 eggs. In the first experimental group, the uterine egg production was 9.10% higher compared to the control, and in the second group by 20.0%.

Access to prairie pollen affects honey bee queen fecundity in the field and lab

Beekeepers experience high annual losses of colonies, with environmental stressors like pathogens, reduced forage, and pesticides as contributors. Some factors, like nutritional stress from reduced flower abundance or diversity, are more pronounced in agricultural landscapes where extensive farming limits pollen availability. In addition to affecting other aspects of colony health, quantity and quality of pollen available are important for colony brood production and likely for queen egg laying. While some US beekeepers report &amp;gt;50% of colony loss due to queen failure, the causes of poor-quality queens are poorly understood. Access to resources from native prairie habitat is suggested as a valuable late-season resource for honey bees that can reverse colony growth declines, but it is not clear how prairie forage influences queen egg laying. We hypothesized that the pollen resources present in an extensive Midwestern corn/soybean agroecosystem during the critical late season period affect honey bee queen egg laying and that access to native prairies can increase queen productivity. To test this, we designed a field experiment in Iowa, keeping colonies in either soybean or prairie landscapes during a critical period of forage dearth, and we quantified queen egg laying as well as pollen collection (quantity and species). Then, using pollen collected in the field experiments, we created representative dietary mixtures, which we fed to bees using highly controlled laboratory cages to test how consumption of these diets affected the egg laying of naive queens. In two out of three years, queens in prairies laid more eggs compared to those in soybean fields. Pollen quantity did not vary between the two landscapes, but composition of species did, and was primarily driven by collection of evening primrose (Oenothera biennis). When pollen representative of the two landscapes was fed to caged bees in the laboratory queens fed prairie pollen laid more eggs, suggesting that pollen from this landscape plays an important role in queen productivity. More work is needed to tease apart the drivers of these differences, but understanding how egg laying is regulated is useful for designing landscapes for sustainable pollinator management and can inform feeding regimes for beekeepers.

Species recognition limits mating between hybridizing ant species.

Identifying mechanisms limiting hybridization is a central goal of speciation research. Here, we studied premating and postmating barriers to hybridization between two ant species, Formica selysi and Formica cinerea. These species hybridize in the Rhône valley in Switzerland, where they form a mosaic hybrid zone, with limited introgression from F. selysi into F. cinerea. There was no sign of temporal isolation between the two species in the production of queens and males. With choice experiments, we showed that queens and males strongly prefer to mate with conspecifics. Yet, we did not detect postmating barriers caused by genetic incompatibilities. Specifically, hybrids of all sexes and castes were found in the field and F1 hybrid workers did not show reduced viability compared to nonhybrid workers. To gain insights into the cues involved in species recognition, we analyzed the cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of queens, males, and workers and staged dyadic encounters between workers. CHC profiles differed markedly between species, but were similar in F. cinerea and hybrids. Accordingly, workers also discriminated species, but they did not discriminate F. cinerea and hybrids. We discuss how the CHC‐based recognition system of ants may facilitate the establishment of premating barriers to hybridization, independent of hybridization costs.

Methoxyfenozide has minimal effects on replacement queens but may negatively affect sperm storage

Honey bees are incidentally exposed to pesticides such as the insect growth regulator methoxyfenozide (MEOF) during crop pollination, exposures that extend into the hive via contaminated stored food. We examined the sublethal effects of MEOF-contaminated pollen and queen cell wax on replacement queen development. MEOF-exposed colonies were largely able to produce replacement queens of similar physiological and reproductive quality as unexposed colonies. Newly established queens did not differ in their body mass, ovariole development, or protein and fatty acid contents in their ovaries and fat bodies. MEOF and control queens had similar glandular contents of queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) and queen retinue pheromone (QRP) compounds. However, MEOF queens stored less sperm in their spermathecae than control queens. Given that queen productivity is ultimately limited by sperm availability, MEOF contamination might shorten the functional lifespan of exposed queens.

Development of Heterotrigona itama (Cockerell, 1918) queens by in vitro culture for conservation purposes

An eco-friendly technique for rapid multiplication of the stingless bee colonies, species Heterotrigona itama from Malaysia, to achieve the most effective in vitro queen production is highly needed. In this study, there were significant differences in the volumes of the queen larval food collected from different wild combs (114 µL,127 µL, and 138 µL) at the various sampling sites (F 2,44 = 4.85, p < 0.05). While there was no significant difference (i.e. more consistent) in the humidity and temperature readings within the hives, at 68.2%–73.8% (F 9,449 = 0.27, p > 0.05) and 24.5 °C–32 °C (F 9,449 = 1.73 p > 0.05), respectively. For the rearing process, the optimum parameters were set up based on the optimised data for the first 10 days of the larval food, with the relative humidity (%) of 72 ± 2 and temperature (°C) 27 ± 5, similar to the inside hive values obtained in the field. Several modifications had been made by trial and error due to several reasons. A total of five replicated experiments conducted with three amounts of larval food on the ELISA plates showed that 127 µL and 138 µL gave the best results in the frequency of the hatched queens, with 75% to 77.5% survival. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed significant differences between the amounts of larval food given (χ2 = 10.385, df = 2, p < 0.05) in survival probability, with 138 µL showing the highest. These novel findings specifically obtained for the H. itama species with their optimum food supply, relative humidity, and temperature for in vitro rearing are very valuable for conservation purposes.