On 29/03/2015 12:56 AM, Richard Cryberg wrote:


> Proba
> My ABC copyright 1972 on page 96 has a table summarizing the results of selective breeding at the Univ of Minnesota during the 1930s for increased honey production on only 22 colonies.  Over a period of four years the poorest colonies honey production was increased by a factor of eight while the best colonies showed an increase of 1.3 simply by requeening from the best producing colonies each year and leaving good producers alone to fend for themselves.  That 1.3 increase may well be nothing but weather differences.  Still, the overall results show clearly that selection for production is rapidly effective.
As described here that is not selection, rather culling of the lower 
producers.  Still it is a very effective way to raise overall 
production.  Common in dairy herds for example.

Geoff Manning

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