Selection Methods for Honey Bee Breeding

Honey bees are the most important pollinator of agricultural food crops, and the world’s food supply depends upon a healthy honey bee industry. Programs to select and breed honey bee stocks that are productive and less susceptible to diseases and pests are needed. Honey bees mate in flight with multiple drones. Controlling mating is essential for a breeding program, and II of queens provides this capability. This first of three videos details a highly effective and practical method of selecting and breeding honey bees using the Page/Laidlaw Closed Population Breeding program, by three beekeepers/researchers who have used this method for nearly forty years.