Our study seemingly supports contradictory conclusions about the effectiveness of selecting for hygienic behaviour in open-mated commercial beekeeping operations.   

Ideally, bee breeders evaluate the effects of selection by comparing the performance of multiple generations in a common environment. Unfortunately, they do not have a reliable way to preserve honeybee  germplasm for the term of a selection programme.  

In our study, for example, we did not observe a significant divergence from our unselected benchmark and therefore conclude that selection did not significantly increase the frequency of hygienic behaviour.  

Results suggests that the variation in hygienic behaviour observed in our population is more influenced by environmental factors.

Pernal, S. F., Sewalem, A., & Melathopoulos, A. P. (2012). Breeding for hygienic behaviour in honeybees (Apis mellifera) using free-mated nucleus colonies. Apidologie, 43(4), 403-416.

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