> Hybrid vigor usually refers to "a lack of inbreeding weakness".
I don't think it means that on this side of the pond. Here we
differentiate between inbreeding, outbreeding and cross breeding. We
would only look for inbreeding when trying to fix lines in order to get
recessive genes to be expressed so that they can be culled out or to
subsequently outbreed for one generation to take advantage of the
resulting vigour. I see outbreeding as mating between unrelated bees
but from the same race. That is a sustainable option and the one most
of us try to adopt. It provides a "lack of inbreeding weakness" without
producing hybrids. Then there is cross breeding which involves the
crossing of different races. In my experience you then the get the
hybrid vigour that leads to aggressive behaviour in the next
generation. The first such cross gets the honey but the second gets the
aggression. The only person I have known who did this regularly was
very careful to requeen every year. Unfortunately he used to sell some
of his old queens and the unsuspecting purchasers found themselves in
all sorts of trouble the following year.
Steve Rose, North Wales
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm