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Ohio Queen Project-Proposed Design/Structure Objectives:
Ohio Queen Project (OQP) The OSBA shall establish regional coordinators throughout Ohio who will conduct queen rearing seminars for interested beekeepers in their region. Breeding Program The primary goals of a breeding program are to identify desirable stock and propagate the desirable stock in a sustainable fashion. There are several steps in a breeding program which can be very costly and time consuming for a small number of individuals; however, with a large number of willing participants, the responsibilities of a single individual are reduced while the benefits to the group are greatly increased. The first step is to identify the desirable foundation stock for the OQP. Therefore, the following are proposed steps to initiate the establishment of the OQP breeding program. Step 1 – Establishing a Breeding Population Carniolans offer a solid foundation from which to build an initial program. Focusing on a single stock will concentrate selection efforts which will facilitate progress. Keep in mind, the main goal should be to develop a well adapted “Ohio” bee, so other desirable stocks need not be excluded from the initial collection of desirable stocks. Regional coordinators should begin identifying desirable colonies around the state that will serve as drone mother colonies for the first generation of instrumentally inseminated (II) breeder queens. Once approximately 20-25 exceptional colonies have been identified by each regional coordinator drones should be collected from OSBA selected colonies and used to inseminate queens reared from selected breeder queens. By selecting a given number of drone mother queens from each region, genetic diversity is insured which facilitates the longevity of the breeding program and enhances the productivity of the stock. To further enhance the genetic diversity, I propose the semen collected from all of the drones be mixed (homogenized) prior to the insemination of the queens. The queens inseminated with homogenized semen will then be distributed to the regional coordinators to serve as breeder queens for each season. Step 2 – Distributing Stock to OSBA Members Once the queens are inseminated they will then be distributed to each regional coordinator who will be responsible for establishing the newly inseminated queens and monitoring their progress. This will also provide easy access to the breeder queens so that the coordinators may use them as a source of grafting material. The daughter queens reared from the II breeder queens will produce genetically diverse offspring. There is an increasing body of research that shows genetic diversity, the backbone of the honey bee mating strategy, enhances survival, disease resistance and productivity. The drawback of using II queens that have been inseminated with homogenized semen is that the semen mixing process appears to damage a large proportion of the sperm cells. Therefore the longevity of queens inseminated with homogenized semen can be quite variable. However, the genetic benefits far outweigh the difficulties associated with maintaining the breeder queens. Regional coordinators may then distribute the queen cells raised from the II breeder queens to OSBA members. Members who receive queen cells should agree to mark the resulting naturally mated queens and keep records of the queens until the following spring. Step 3 – Evaluating Naturally Mated Queens OSBA members who receive stock from the OQP must agree to keep records of the colonies headed by OQP queens and allow access to the colonies. Having a large number of naturally mated queens from the selected stock is a key component of this program. The more queens the OQP can evaluate each year, the more selective regional directors can be when choosing the best two or three queens from their region. Each spring, members should report to the regional directors. Members should select their best colony, if they feel as though one is exceptional. The regional directors will then make the final selection from potential colonies in their region. Step 4 – Collecting Drones from the Selected Naturally Mated Queens The next step will be to secure drones for instrumental insemination work from the selected queens from across Ohio. The best option, in my opinion, would be to borrow the colonies or a split containing the selected naturally mated queens and move them to a central location for the spring and summer months. This would provide a central location from which to collect drones when needed for producing the II queens for the project. In addition, drones would be available over an extended period of time when needed. A second potential benefit of a central location would be a mating yard to secure naturally mated queens mated to the best drone mothers. Step 5 – Producing the “Super-Mated” Inseminated Breeder Queens After the naturally mated queens have been selected as drone mothers, a group of queens will be raised from selected instrumentally inseminated breeder queens. Again, diversity is a benefit; therefore, virgin queens should be produced from desirable “super-mated” II queens retained by the coordinators as well as other II breeder queens. The virgin queens will then be inseminated using homogenized semen collected from all of the 20-25 (or more if available) naturally mated drone mother queens. Once the queens are inseminated, they will be distributed to the regional coordinators to establish in nucleus colonies. Once the “super-mated” II queens are established, the regional coordinators may then begin using grafting material for the production of the next generation of naturally mated production queens. Points to consider: The timeline of queen rearing events for this program may seem delayed for some. Beekeepers often want to raise queens as early as possible in the spring of the year. However, the emphasis for this program should be placed on producing a high quality queen and the maintenance of a sustainable breeding program. This does not necessarily mean that participating members will have queens available in April as some would like. An agreed upon set of selection criterion needs to established. One primary trait is temperament. Ohio is becoming increasingly developed and a gentle stock has many benefits. Other “desirable” traits need to be clearly identified so that evaluations can be standardized and consistent. |
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