Estimation of heritability of some characteristics of hind legs and wings of honeybee workers (Apis mellifera carnica Polm) using the half-sibs method

Abstract - Morphometrical investigations were done on 732 honeybee workers from 44 colonies in the apiary of the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia. Fore- and hind-wing area, cubital index, length of hairs on tergite 5, side surfaces of tibia, femur and metatarsus, and the length of tibial hairs on the prepared hind legs were measured. The total side surfaces of hind-leg and wings were calculated. Investigated characteristics of bees were divided into 2 groups: the first group included hind-leg and wing sizes while the second included hairs and index characteristics. The characteristics from the first group showed more expressed phenotypic and genetic correlation than the characteristics from the second group. All estimated heritabilities were large and significant. In an artificial selection of described properties of bees the selected traits are more or less successfully changed, the unselected characteristics are always a compromise between genetic relationships to the selected trait, and selection due to environment.