Previous research has shown that honey bees can be successfully bred for traits such as hygienic behavior, tolerance to Varroa destructor, and increased honey production. While these traits have been studied individually, there are no reports of attempts to select for all three traits simultaneously. The objectives of this project are to breed honey bees for these traits under Washington State climatic conditions. We are including beekeepers statewide as an integral part of the evaluation process. Increasing traits for disease and pest tolerance in honey bees will reduce the reliance on pesticides and antibiotics, reduce pesticide resistance issues, and allay fears of pesticides entering hive products. Currently we are measuring traits and breeding queens for distribution to beekeepers and for testing in our research apiaries. We also are attempting to calculate heritabilities for these traits.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Apidae Apis mellifera (honey bee)
Keywords: honey bee breeding
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA