Instrumental Insemination and Semen Cryopreservation: Can Honey Bees be Selectively Bred Like Cattle?
ISSN 2158-9429
Volume 12, Issue 2 - December 2019
Editor: Linda Chalker-Scott
Abstract
- Recent advancements in the instrumental insemination of queens, and cryopreservation of honey bee semen have implications that may affect the future of honey bee breeding and the sustainability of honey production. Honey bee breeding is complicated by the haplodiploidy genetic architecture of the colony created from a diploid polyandrous queen and her random mating with several haploid males. Further hampering of breeding programs is generated by the method by which desirable traits are articulated within the colony, whether from genetic heritability, environmental influences, or behavioral effects. Despite these complications, the future of honey bee breeding is at the cusp of amelioration.
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