Special Issue "Honeybee Breeding"
A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 52782
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biogeography of the genus Apis and its species; subspecific diversity of Apis mellifera; bee genetics; conservation of bees and wild pollinators; honey bee breeding
Interests: honey bee breeding and selection; performance evaluation; varroa-resistant bees; breeding for disease resistance; biotechnical varroa management
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Traditionally, honeybee breeding has been focusing on traits of immediate benefit to apiculturists, such as maximizing honey yield or selecting for traits that allow handling colonies with greater ease, for instance, gentleness or low swarming tendency. In particular since the establishment of breeding value estimation, significant genetic progress has been achieved in this regard.
More recently, following the global spread of the invasive varroa mite together with the limits of chemical parasite control, selection efforts also include approaches towards improved mite resistance of breeding stock, for instance, the suppression of mite reproduction (SMR) or, more specifically, varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH). Recent research efforts have dissected mechanisms underlying these traits, and new avenues in breeding for varroa resistance are opening based on genomic analyses allowing marker assisted selection.
Not least, breeding efforts to improve the apicultural traits of endangered honeybee populations and subspecies, aiming at increasing their attractiveness to local beekeepers, have recently been initiated and offer the chance of sustainable conservation of honeybee genetic and geographic diversity.
In this Special Issue, we aim at presenting a broad perspective on contemporary selection programs and breeding initiatives on a global scale.
Dr. Marina Meixner
Dr. Ralph Büchler
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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Keywords
- honeybee selection programs mating control varroa resistance suppressed mite reproduction (SMR) varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) breeding value honeybee diversity conservation by utilization integrated varroa management