A pedigree record shows which line a queen came from and which colonies she is related to. It is the memory of a breeding programme.

Why it is needed

Knowing performance is not enough for selection; you also need to know where that performance came from.

Without records it cannot be told whether a colony doing well is a coincidence or a characteristic of the line.

What is recorded

• The queen's identifying number and marking colour
• The year she was reared
• The mother queen (the breeder colony)
• How she mated: open, isolated site or instrumental insemination
• The drone line, if known
• Performance notes

The drone side

A queen mates with many drones. In open mating that side is unknown and half the pedigree is missing.

An isolated mating site closes much of that gap. Instrumental insemination makes both sides certain.

The inbreeding problem

Breeding continuously from your own line in a small, closed population raises the level of inbreeding.

In honey bees this has a concrete sign: a patchy brood pattern. Under close inbreeding some eggs fail to develop and the bees remove them.

Bringing in outside stock at intervals prevents it. The pedigree record shows when it is needed.

A simple system is enough

Most beekeepers need no elaborate pedigree. Even three pieces of information make a large difference:

• Which colony the queen was reared from
• In which year
• How she performed

After a few seasons it becomes clear which line works in your own conditions.

Relation to marking

The colour code tells you the queen's age; a numbered disc tells you her identity. Together they let you recognise a colony without consulting the record.

Regional records

In some countries beekeeping associations operate shared pedigree systems. Taking part both strengthens your own records and contributes to regional breeding work.