Ian Steppler asked:

> Within specific breeding programs in the US, how many breeder queens are
> typically used?

I have seen it claimed that virtually all the stock in the US has been bred 
from fewer than 800 queens, and that this lack of genetic diversity may be 
one of the reasons contributing to the current problems.

To suggest that a national breeding programme should have only 50 breeder 
queens would therefore seem to me to be unwise to say the least.

Peter Edwards 

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