A knowledge of facts constitutes science. Correct observation alone, can lead to a knowledge of any science; from such knowledge only, will correct practice result. The honey bee has been a prolific theme for guessing, among ancients as well as moderns. Numerous contradictory theories are advanced, extremely perplexing to the inexperienced apiarian, some of which must be refuted or reconciled by attentive observation, before uniform success can be expected. To refute some of these incorrect theories by a relation of facts, is the object of this communication. 

M. Quinby. (1847).  FALSE THEORIES IN RELATION TO BEES. in: THE CULTIVATOR.

¶


The Italian bee has been so carefully nurtured in
this country that our bee-keepers now send queens
of this breed to all parts of the world, in small
mailing-cages. They have sent them repeatedly to
Italy to improve the race there. There is some
danger at the present moment of the production of
an American mongrel as a result of the indiscriminate introduction of new races. We control the
fertilization of queens so badly that it is with great difficulty we can keep our bees pure. Only bees of very considerable distinctive qualities should be experimented with, or the result is chaos; and this stage has already been reached in some places. 

W. K. Morrison (1908). BEES. in: Cyclopedia of American Agriculture 

¶

Currently, neither honey producers nor dedicated queen breeders have a way to verify progress made on a stud level in a commercial operation. By using genomic informa- tion, the gap of missing pedigree information can be addressed. In collaboration with a large-scale beekeeping company, we have developed strategies for data collection and genotyping in a commercial population of Apis mellifera Ligustica that is continuously supplied with elite queens. With the help of genomic data, breeders are enabled to establish large-scale progeny tests, manage genetic diversity, and provide producers with genetics ideally suited for their production system. 

G. Petersen (2018). AbacusBio Ltd, Dunedin, New Zealand 
http://www.abacusbio.com/projects/futurebees-new-zealand
https://futurebeesnz.wordpress.com

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