Breeder queens

[Rob Stockley 3,417]

3 hours ago, Nedeljko said:

there was a presentation held by Prof. Peter Dearden, from the Department of Biochemistry from Otago University

Earlier this year I had the privilege of listening to Prof Dearden when he was hosted by the Hawkes Bay branch of the Royal Society. His research into genetics showed that NZ bees have evolved a unique genetic identity. Ground breaking stuff. Very funny guy. Easy to listen to. 

[Scutellator 52]

On 27.09.2017 г. at 11:09 PM, Philbee said:

The irony is that the more dependent the industry becomes on relative F1 crosses from what is bound to be AI Queens, the less diverse the general Bee population becomes.

 

I no longer want to save the whole world, most people like it the way it is.

I've never sold a single breeder queen. Fist, I find it EXTREMELY dumb idea. Second, it makes the queen rearers lazy, always relying on somebody else to do the hard work for them. Both sides lose in a long run.

On 7.10.2017 г. at 10:46 AM, Alastair said:

To breed a stable carni italian hybrid could take hundreds of years.

 

One of the 4 inbred lines used in the Starline program was actually a Carnica, bred for yellow colour (acording to Larry Connor, the successor of G. Cale) . Used to counterbalance the extreme brooding of the Italians.
Practically “stability" is nothing more than certain level of homozygosity. Everything with inbr coefficient around 0,5 and above is considered “stable”. Stable hybrid is one thing, but making it a a productive one requires also modulating the allelic frequencies 

 

 

On 7.10.2017 г. at 9:44 PM, jamesc said:

Last year we bought a breeder of a highly recognised breeder of breeders. ...... She is the slowest queen to build up in the yard.....

It is a common obstacle of ALL controlled mating programs. The bee no matter what still is a wild animal. I will keep my mouth shut on this.

 

Just now, Philbee said:

I doubt that there are many, if any beeks who are so on top of their game that the only way for them to improve is through genetic improvement of their Bee stock.

In other words, the most economic, effective, timely, and productive improvement a Beek can make to their Bee Business is by improving their general Beek skills and animal health would be at the top of the list.

Forget the smoke and mirrors of the breeding witch doctors....

 

 

The only way to get the best results is to have:
   1)good forage
 2)bee a good beekeeper
3)use superior bees ( without bees, the hive is just a box)

 

Bees are just animals controlled by instincts. We can change those instincts and even silence them.  It is a way to make them doing what we want without the need to do it ourselves.

Yes, we can skip the selection. We can use crappy bees and still be profitable. We can achieve the same results by applying more human hours. And we can also get the same net profits by having a higher number of hives. Some people prefer the NASA suits rather wearing a T-shirt and flip-flops.  That’s another way of solving the same problems, which also works.
 

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by Scutellator

[john berry 5,636]

Local selection of local bees leads to greater production, less costs, less losses and helps to retain genetic diversity and genetic improvements that have been bred by local beekeepers for generations.

[Scutellator 52]

On 13.10.2017 г. at 11:47 PM, john berry said:

Local selection of local bees leads to greater production, less costs, less losses and helps to retain genetic diversity and genetic improvements that have been bred by local beekeepers for generations.

I don't think anyone in the world would disagree with a statement that said. We all argue about the details. But it is easier to say than actually do it.

 

BTW. Does anybody knows the single turning point event in the honey bee evolution?

[Alastair 8,627]

No?

[jamesc 4,900]

Varroa?

[yesbut 6,230]

I'll play your game.....when they evolved from wasps ?

[Philbee 4,675]

14 hours ago, Scutellator said:

I don't think anyone in the world would disagree with a statement that said. We all argue about the details. But it is easier to say than actually do it.

 

BTW. Does anybody knows the single turning point event in the honey bee evolution?

Was it when the Queen stopped needing a regular... bloke

[Rob Stockley 3,417]

19 hours ago, Scutellator said:

Does anybody knows the single turning point event in the honey bee evolution?

 When they became social insects

[tom sayn 1,261]

i thought when they became anyone's mascots.

[Scutellator 52]

Thanks for the participation.

 

Anybody thought about the invention of the sugar?

 

"Survival of the fittest" have different meaning now, having nothing to do with things like climate adapted or high vitality.

 

If I didn't knew that conservation is often difficult even with Artificial insemination and island matings, maybe I would also believe in the open mating way.