Choosing a breeder colony is the point at which breeding begins. Rearing from an average colony reproduces average.

What to look at

The choice should rest on records rather than impressions:

• Overwintering: Strength coming out of winter and stores consumed
• Temperament: Behaviour on the comb, level of defensiveness
• Hygienic behaviour: Measured, not guessed
• Swarming tendency
• Varroa increase under the same conditions
• Brood pattern: Tightness and continuity
• Yield

The condition for a fair choice

Comparison is meaningful only if the colonies are kept under the same conditions: the same apiary, the same hive type, the same interventions, similar starting strength.

Comparing colonies in different apiaries leads to mistaking a difference in forage for a difference in genetics.

Consistency over one good year

A colony that does well in a single season may owe it to circumstances. What matters is performing consistently over several seasons.

A breeder should be chosen from colonies that have proved themselves over at least two seasons.

The drone side

Half the genetics of the next generation comes from the drones in the area.

Selecting the breeder queen alone does half the job. Leaving drone comb in selected colonies improves the pool the new queens will mate into.

Avoiding inbreeding

Rearing continuously from a single line raises inbreeding, whose concrete sign is a patchy brood pattern.

Working with more than one line and bringing in outside stock at intervals prevents it.

What to eliminate

Selection is not only choosing the best; it is also removing the worst.

• Requeen bad-tempered colonies
• Requeen those that repeatedly show disease
• Requeen those with a high swarming tendency
• Do not rear drones from these colonies

A realistic aim

Rearing from the best and replacing the worst makes a marked difference within a few years — without any formal programme.