Preliminary Report on Selection and Breeding of Honeybees for Alfalfa Pollen Collection

摘要

Some colonies of honeybees on alfalfa collect a much higher percentage of alfalfa pollen than others. The possibility of genetic differences between colonies was investigated. Colonies collecting high and low percentages of alfalfa pollen were first selected. Daughters of queens from three \u27high\u27 and three \u27low\u27 colonies were inseminated from their brothers, and colonies headed by queens of these six lines were tested. Colonies headed by sister queens were more similar in the proportion of alfalfa pollen they collected than were those headed by unrelated queens. This suggests heritability of the factor studied. On the other hand no correlation was found with colonies headed by the mother queens, nor between those headed by the mother queens in the first and the second year. Queens from \u27high\u27 and \u27low\u27 lines were selected for mating and testing in 1964.