Not new, but bears repeating

Despite the extended relationship between humans and bees, the history of beekeeping is not one of domestication. Genetic improvement of honeybees is complicated by the fact that they suffer from severe inbreeding depression and cannot therefore be inbred to any great degree. Bees have even developed a variety of behavioral characteristics that reduce the possibility of inbreeding. These behavioral traits further complicate the breeding of bees.

Many traits, particularly behavioral traits, are only apparent at the colony level and therefore must be selected at the colony level, rather than at an individual level. Thus, rapid phenotypic screening is often impossible. Furthermore, the need to maintain genotypes as colonies, limits the number of genotypes that can be screened and maintained.

The honeybee is unique to other commercially farmed organisms including other insects; their sociality enables them to be excellent scientific research models but their need for genetic variability in order for colonies to survive makes them difficult to breed for commercial purposes.

D. Schlipalius, P. R. Ebert, G. J. Hunt. Honeybee
Genome Mapping and Genomics in Arthropods
W. Hunter, C. Kole (Eds.) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008

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