Free Access
| Issue |
Apidologie
Volume 23, Number 2, 1992
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 151 - 159 | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/apido:19920208 | |
Apidologie 23 (1992) 151-159
DOI: 10.1051/apido:19920208
a Agriculture of Canada Research Station, Box 29, Beaverlodge, Alberta, TOH 0C0, Canada
b Agriculture Canada Research Program Service, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0C6
Key words: heritability / colour / closed population / breeding
DOI: 10.1051/apido:19920208
Heritability of colour patterns in a closed population of honeybees
T.I. Szaboa and P.L. Lefkovitchba Agriculture of Canada Research Station, Box 29, Beaverlodge, Alberta, TOH 0C0, Canada
b Agriculture Canada Research Program Service, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0C6
Abstract - The heritability of colour patterns of honeybee (Apis mellifera) queens, workers and drones, the offspring of the 10th generation of 20 queen families were studied. The queen offspring of the 11th generation of 10 families were also examined. Colour classifications were made for queens, workers and drones. The heritability of the colour of queens was 0.21 to 0.23; of workers 0.32, and drones 0.39, all significantly different from zero. It may be possible to breed honeybee families for distinctive colour within closed population breeding with natural mating.
Key words: heritability / colour / closed population / breeding