Selecting for Behavioural Traits

Breeding for behavioural traits is work that uses selection to improve heritable behaviours in bee colonies, such as gentleness, calmness on the comb, low swarming tendency and little robbing. Behaviour affects the beekeeper's daily work even more than productivity does, and it is among the traits that respond fastest to selection. Replacing the queen of a bad-tempered colony with a selected queen is the simplest and most effective breeding step in beekeeping.

Which behaviours can be improved by breeding?

• Gentleness (docility): Not attacking when the hive is opened, stinging little, not following the beekeeper.
• Calmness on the comb: Bees staying in place when a frame is lifted, not running about, and not clustering and hanging off the bottom.
• Low swarming tendency: Not building swarm cells when given enough space.
• Hygienic behaviour: Removing diseased brood; covered on separate pages.
• Little robbing: Not attacking other hives during a nectar dearth.
• Propolis use: Not gluing frames excessively; for a beekeeper producing propolis, the opposite is wanted.

Why does defensiveness matter so much?

Defending its hive is a natural behaviour of the bee; but its level differs greatly between lines, and this difference is largely heritable. The cost of a defensive colony is not just a few stings:

• Inspections take longer, and more smoke and protective equipment are needed.
• Problems arise with neighbours, passers-by and animals; the location of the apiary becomes a matter of dispute.
• The beekeeper starts putting off inspections; swarming, queenlessness and disease are noticed late.

The last point is the most insidious: a bad-tempered colony is looked after less, and so causes more problems.

How is defensiveness measured?

Giving a score of 1–4 at each inspection is enough (4 being the gentlest). When scoring, pay attention to these observations:

1. Response to opening: Whether the bees take off immediately when the lid is lifted.
2. Need for smoke: How much smoke is needed to calm them.
3. Stinging: The number of stings left in gloves or clothing.
4. Following: How far from the hive the bees follow the beekeeper.
5. Time to settle: How long the colony takes to calm down after the inspection.

In research, a piece of dark leather is waved in front of the hive and the stings left in it over a set time are counted; for the beekeeper, a regular inspection score is usually enough.

Why shouldn't calmness on the comb be underrated?

When a frame is lifted and the bees run about, flee to the edges and cluster and hang from the bottom of the frame, it becomes harder to find the queen, see eggs and assess the brood pattern. The inspection takes longer, the colony is disturbed more, and the risk of the queen falling to the ground increases. This trait is related to gentleness but should be scored separately: some colonies do not sting but never stay still on the comb.

Can swarming tendency be reduced by breeding?

Yes, swarming tendency has a significant heritable component. But swarming is also strongly affected by hive management and the season, so it must be measured under fair conditions: a young queen, boxes added on time and enough space. Colonies that start swarm preparations even under these conditions get a low score.

• 4: No swarm preparations during the season.
• 3: Empty cups or cups with eggs present, not progressing.
• 2: Swarm cells with larvae built, prevented by intervention.
• 1: The colony swarmed.

Robbing and propolis behaviour

Colonies that attack other hives during a nectar dearth can both kill weak neighbours and carry disease and mites. The tendency to rob differs between lines; record colonies that go robbing persistently.

Propolis collection is heritable too. In lines that use excessive propolis, frames stick together and inspections become harder. A beekeeper who produces propolis, on the other hand, selects colonies that collect plenty of it. Decide on your goal from the start.

What is the quickest solution for a bad-tempered colony?

Replacing the colony's queen. Because the workers are the queen's daughters, the colony's character changes as the new queen's offspring emerge. The new queen's first workers emerge about three weeks after she starts laying; in summer most of the old workers are replaced within a few weeks. A clear calming is usually seen within 6–8 weeks.

1. Obtain a mated queen from a selected line.
2. Find the queen of the bad-tempered colony on a calm day, splitting the colony into several boxes if necessary.
3. Introduce the new queen in a cage; check that she has been accepted.
4. Record the change and keep scoring in the following weeks.

Does behaviour differ between races?

There are general tendencies between races; but the difference between lines within the same race is often greater than the difference between races. The table below only summarises widely accepted tendencies:

That is why buying a "gentle race" is not enough on its own; lasting results come from scoring the lines in your own apiary and multiplying the best.

Why is behaviour variable in hybrid bees?

First-generation hybrids of different races are often strong and gentle. However, when the daughters of these hybrid queens mate openly, traits segregate in the second generation and defensiveness can increase markedly. A beekeeper working with a hybrid line should plan to requeen every year or two from a reliable producer, and should not raise queens from their own hybrid colonies.