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The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
The Importance of Apiculture
Albert J. Robertson
Meadow Ridge Enterprises
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Outline
Definition of apiculture
Importance of honey bees and apiculture practices
Honey bee health issues
The Saskatraz project
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Apiculture
Apiculture is the management and study of domesticated honey bees (Apis Mellifera).
A critically important profession for secure and sustain the world’s food supply.
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Responsible for 1/3 of the world’s food supply by pollination of more than 90-100 species of flowering plants (Greenleaf and Kremer, 2006, PNAS, 103: 13890)
Worldwide economic value to food production of 50-100 billion USD annually with little or no “carbon footprint” (Dr. Phippes, Apitrack website)
Indicators of the health of their surrounding ecosystem. Essential for the preservation and sustainability of wild species of flowering plants.
Used for prospecting and detecting land mines.
Importance of Honey bees and Apicultural Practices
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Involved with collection of valuable hive products.
Honey
most “green” sweetener; more evidence of health benefits accumulating (Dr. Ron Fessenden, www.foodnavigator-usa.com) diabetes, weight loss, cognitive function, wound healing, chemotherapy induced neutropenia, cough suppression, antioxidant source.
Wax
Long chain aliphatic alcohol (30-32 C)
Cloned gene involved in bee wax synthesis from SAT-28. Prapanan Teerawanichpan, Albert J. Robertson, Xiao Qui, 2010, Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 40; 641-
649.
Pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom (apitherapy)
Apicultural Practices
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
In the media since 2007, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Increased and continued decline in honey bee populations throughout the world is of serious concern.
Possible Causes:
Parasitic mites (Varroa Destructor) Apis cerana Apis mellifera
Pathogens (viruses and microsporidia) associated with the mites
Synthetic chemical miticide treatments Residues, mite resistance, decreased natural immunity and
suppression of the development of natural resistance to mites
Lack of genetic diversity in the managed bee population.
Compounded by poor apicultural practices and agricultural pesticide uses (nicotinoids)
Honey Bee Health Issues
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Established in 2004 in collaboration with Saskatchewan and Manitoba queen breeders.
Involved assembling a large diverse gene pool at an isolated apiary called Saskatraz.
Aimed at using natural selection (no synthetic chemical miticides) to select for honey bee genotypes with tolerance to parasitic mites.
The Saskatraz ProjectSBA Honey Bee Breeding Program
The Saskatraz ProjectObjective: To develop productive, gentle honeybees with
tolerance to mites and brood diseasesBy: Albert J. Robertson
SBA Honeybee Breeding Program
Summer 2004-05
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Letters A to G represent isolated apiaries and the year of establishment at Meadow Ridge. Solid arrows indicate genetically diverse gene (GD) flow into
Saskatraz, dashed arrows gene flow out of Saskatraz. (ii) denotes instrumental insemination. RC denotes recurrent selection. 1Denotes no chemical miticides.
Saskatraz Breeding Program Logistics
certified
Saskatraz“Natural Selection1 and Evaluation”
(2004-09)
AMeadow Ridge (MR)
Closed BreedingPopulation
(1992-2003)
BFive Isolated
Russian ApiariesBlue 40, Green, Purple 30Yellow (2001-05) at MR
EColonies selected (127) bySK beekeepers (34), MR (83)Over 6 years(representing selections from > 50,000 colonies)(2004-2009)
GSaskatraz satellite yardsat MR 2006-09(reselected elitebreeding lines forclosed populationmating and stock maintenance)
FCommercial QueenBreeders and Beekeepers(2005-2009)(4200 queen cells, 67 breeder queensdistributed between 2006-09)
CRussian/German hybrids (ii)
UM/German hybrids (ii)NWC crosses (open mated and ii)
(2006) Constructed at MR
DCanadian hygienic
Lines (TSQ)Crossed with
Russian and UM(2005) Constructed at MR
RC
certifiedRC
GD
GD
GD
GD
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Saskatraz natural selection yard site fall 2006 – fenced.Selection for this Saskatraz yard site is a death sentence.
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Primary Selection Criteria:
1. Honey Production2. Wintering Ability3. Mite Resistance and Suppression4. Resistance to Brood Diseases
(chalk brood, foul brood and virus susceptibility)
Breeding methods used to select and enrich for important traits (natural selection, back crossing, recurrent selection and progeny
analyses).
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
211
89
230
142
336370
299
371
204
252 250
152
344
103 108
374
112
302
189
330
376
442
254
0
100
200
300
400
500
85 108 109 88 112 110 111 113 116 114 115 118 119 120 117 121 96 122 123 124 126 125Mean
Ho
ney
, lb
s
Colony ID
Saskatraz Honey Production in 2009
1252
181
4970
540145 62 136 189 85 10
209 88 20218 11 48
544124 21 76
3482
237574
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
85 108 109 88 112 110 111 113 116 114 115 118 119 120 117 121 96 122 123 124 126 125Mean
Tota
l Var
roa
Dro
p
Colony ID
2009 Saskatraz Total Varroa Drop (Jul25- Nov.6 2009)
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Mean
% H
on
ey P
rod
uct
ion
Year
Saskatraz Honey Production as a % of Provincial and Meadow Ridge Hive Production (2005-2009)
% of Prov.
% of MR
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
0 50 100 150 200
Cu
mu
lati
ve V
arro
a C
ou
nt
Days
Cumulative Varroa Mite Drop 2006
SAT 04
SAT 14
SAT 17
SAT 23
SAT 28
SAT 30
SAT 31
SAT 34
SAT 24
SAT 24
SAT 04
SAT 14SAT 30
SAT 17
SAT 31
SAT 28
SAT 34
(May 23) (July 12) (Sept. 2) (Oct. 20)
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Colony (2004)
VirusMay
2005June 2005
July 2005
Aug. 2005
Sept. 2005
Oct. 2005
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
Aug. 2006
Sept. 2006
Oct. 2006
SAT 01DWVIAPVKBV
−−−
−−−
+−−
+−−
+−−
−−−
++−
+−−
+++
−++
+++
Dead
SAT 24DWVIAPVKBV
+−−
−
−
+−−
+−−
+−−
+−−
−−−
−−−
++−
Dead Dead Dead
SAT 28DWVIAPVKBV
+−−
−−−
+−−
−−−
+−−
++−
+−−
−−−
+++
−++
+++
SAT 30DWVIAPVKBV
−−−
+−−
+−−
+−−
+−−
−−−
−−−
−+−
−−−
+++
−++
−++
SAT 34DWVIAPVKBV
++−
+−−
++−
−−−
−−−
+++
−−−
−++
+++
−++
SaskatrazApiary
%T%V
0.33−
0.640.06
1.51.6
0.51
0.33.3
0.723.9
0.915
0.7532
Pandemic
Varroa (ND 2005-2006) Were Sampled From All Saskatraz Colonies To Monitor Virus Infection Status of the Varroa Population and Host Colony.
−
−
−
3
1
− − − −
−
−
3 1 7 2
− −
−
1 9
− 2 − − 3 4
− − − − − −
− −
−
1.2 7 1 9 31
− 1.3 − 17 3 33
− − − 12 46
− − 0.9 − 3 10 26 95
− 0.75 − 5 11 26
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Progeny Analyses of Selected Breeders and Non-Selected Colonies
•Grooming Assays•Hygienic Behaviour (VSH phenotypes)•Morphometric Analyses•Molecular Marker Analyses•Selecting for variability in virus susceptibility
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Grooming Assay
84f84a84c84h0
10
20
30
40
50
No
v. 5
No
v. 6
No
v. 7
No
v. 8
No
v. 1
0
No
v. 1
1
No
v. 1
4
No
v. 1
7
No
v. 2
2
No
v. 2
6
Cu
mu
lati
ve V
arro
a D
rop
Date
SAT - 84
84f 84a 84c 84h
65c65a65d65b0
510
15
20
25
30
35
40
No
v. 5
No
v. 6
No
v. 7
No
v. 8
No
v. 1
0
No
v. 1
1
No
v. 1
4
No
v. 1
7
No
v. 2
2
No
v. 2
6
Cu
mu
lati
ve V
arro
a D
rop
Date
SAT - 65
65c 65a 65d 65b
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
84f 84c 84h 84a 84m 23b 23d 23c 23a 23m 34d 34g 34h 34i 34m
% V
arro
a M
ites
on
Ad
ult
Bee
s
Colony ID - m denotes mean
Winter Varroa Reproduction in Saskatraz Breeding Lines
04-Nov-08
09-Apr-09
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
German (4)
Unknown
Canadian
Russian
New Zealand
A three dimensional plot showing the grouping of 5 different honeybee populations using 20 informative microsatellite markers.
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Selecting for Variability in Virus Susceptibility ofSaskatraz Breeding Lines
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Percent of brood cells infested with varroa at Saskatraz on Sept. 16, 2008.(Red bars indicate colonies showing virus infections)
Values plotted are mean, error bars are SE.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
SAT 63 SAT 65 SAT 84 SAT 85 SAT 86 SAT 87 SAT 88 SAT 90 SAT 91 SAT 93 SAT 94 SAT 96
% o
f B
roo
d C
ells
Infe
sted
Colony ID
% of Brood Cells Infested with Varroa at Saskatraz (Sept. 16, 2008)
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Screening of Pre-Emergent Pupae From Varroa Tolerant and Sensitive Saskatraz Breeding Lines for IAPV using RT-PCR
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Summary
Natural Selection coupled with effective breeding procedures show promise in improving the productivity, health and sustainability of the domesticated honey bee.
Positive selection pressure without the use of synthetic chemical miticides, should allow natural genetic processes to improve tolerance to mites and other pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi).
Apiculture practices should focus more on genetics, breeding and biotechnology to help obtain sustainability of honey bee populations.
The Importance of Apiculture, ABIC 2010
Acknowledgements•Saskatchewan Agriculture (ADF), Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan (MB,
AB, BC and Yukon), Meadow Ridge Ent. Ltd., SBA and CBRF
•GenServe Labs (Dr. G. Brown, Bruce Mann, Dr. Yves Plante, Dale Kelly, and
Dr. Steven Creighton, SRC)
•VIDO (Dr. Philip Griebel and Wayne Connor)
•University of Saskatchewan Food and Bioproducts (Dr. Xiao Qiu and San Jei)
•Mohommad Mostejeran (Research associate 2008-present)
•Dr. Filipe Brizuela (Research associate summer 2008-09)
• Saskatchewan Bee Keeper Colony Donators & Contributors
• Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim (Research associate, summer 2007)
• John Pedersen – breeder stock multiplication and selection (2006)
• Eric Pedersen, Lyse Boisvert, Matthew Polinsky and Vika Cummins –
summer student (2005-2008)
• Family members & Meadow Ridge staff: Tom, Jenny, and Cecilia
Robertson, Neil Morrison, Rob Peace.
• Collaborators: John Gruszka (P.A.Sask) Dr. Solignac (Paris, France), Dr.
Ralph Buchler (Germany), Dr. Rob Currie (U of M), and Manitoba
Queen Breeders Association, Dr. S. Pernal (ACC, AB), Drs. T.
Rinderer, & R. Danka (Baton Rouge, LA), S. Cobey (Davis, CA), BC
Queen Breeders Association (T&E Huxter), Geoff Wilson (P.A. Sask).