An Overview of Selection Concepts Applied to Honey Bees

Abstract

Introduction For beekeepers it is often difficult to empirically estimate the impact of genetics and selection on honey bee performance. This difficulty—encountered by all breeders of domesticated species—is even greater in the case of honey bees, due to their complex biology and reproduction. Thus, beekeepers can be divided into enthusiasts and sceptics: the former rely primarily on selective breeding as means of improving honey bee performance, while the latter prefer to use other levers for achieving their aims. To support beekeepers to distinguish between the improvements that can be achieved in honey bee performance through selection and those that can be achieved through animal husbandry approaches (e.g., colony management and treatments), a summary of useful concepts in honey bee genetics and their use in breeding is presented and illustrated by the example of two Swiss honey bee populations.