Hygienic behaviour in honeybees: a comparison of two recording methods and estimation of genetic parameters

Facchini, Elena; Bijma, P.; Pagnacco, G.; Rizzi, Rita; Brascamp, E.W.

doi:10.1007/s13592-018-0627-6

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In the case of MEL, estimated heritabilities for hygienic behaviour were comparable with values found in the literature (Büchler et al 2008;Ehrhardt et al 2010;Facchini et al 2019;Maucourt 2019). Lower values in the case of SAR may be due to the evaluation protocol of this trait.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

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Estimates of genetic parameters for production, behaviour, and health traits in two Swiss honey bee populations

Guichard

Neuditschko

Soland³

et al. 2020

Apidologie

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Successful honey bee breeding programmes require traits that can be genetically improved by selection. Heritabilities for production, behaviour, and health traits, as well as their phenotypic correlations, were estimated in two distinct Swiss Apis mellifera mellifera and Apis mellifera carnica populations based on 9 years of performance records and more than two decades of pedigree information. Breeding values were estimated by a best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) approach, taking either queen or worker effects into account. In A. m. mellifera, the highest heritabilities were obtained for defensive behaviour, calmness during inspection, and hygienic behaviour, while in A. m. carnica, honey yield and hygienic behaviour were the most heritable traits. In contrast, estimates for infestation rates by Varroa destructor suggest that the phenotypic variation cannot be attributed to an additive genetic origin in either population. The highest phenotypic correlations were determined between defensive behaviour and calmness during inspection. The implications of these findings for testing methods and the management of the breeding programme are discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…In smaller datasets, it is more likely that the maximum likelihood algorithm may not converge when a joint estimation is performed, thus requiring estimation of either worker or queen effects. Such a situation was described for a recent honey bee selection programme including 151 colonies (Facchini et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimates of genetic parameters for production, behaviour, and health traits in two Swiss honey bee populations

Guichard

Neuditschko

Soland³

et al. 2020

Apidologie

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“…The results presented here also highlight the fact that short-term repeatability (ten days' time intervals) of MNR was modest, whereas long-term repeatability (within years) measurements were relatively low, although comparable to those of hygienic behavior [51,52], a main trait used as a selection criterion in several breeding programs. Measuring hygienic behavior has successfully led to the selection of hygienic honey bees [53], meaning that, nevertheless, there is potential for MNR to be used for selection if its heritability is high enough, which still has to be confirmed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Descriptive Analysis of the Varroa Non-Reproduction Trait in Honey Bee Colonies and Association with Other Traits Related to Varroa Resistance

Sann

Basso

Guirao³

et al. 2020

Insects

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In the current context of worldwide honey bee colony losses, among which the varroa mite plays a major role, the hope to improve honey bee health lies in part in the breeding of varroa resistant colonies. To do so, methods used to evaluate varroa resistance need better understanding. Repeatability and correlations between traits such as mite non-reproduction (MNR), varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH), and hygienic behavior are poorly known, due to practical limitations and to their underlying complexity. We investigate (i) the variability, (ii) the repeatability of the MNR score, and (iii) its correlation with other resistance traits. To reduce the inherent variability of MNR scores, we propose to apply an empirical Bayes correction. In the short-term (ten days), MNR had a modest repeatability of 0.4, whereas in the long-term (a month), it had a low repeatability of 0.2, similar to other resistance traits. Within our dataset, there was no correlation between MNR and VSH. Although MNR is amongst the most popular varroa resistance estimates in field studies, its underlying complex mechanism is not fully understood. Its lack of correlation with better described resistance traits and low repeatability suggest that MNR needs to be interpreted cautiously, especially when used for selection.

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“…The results presented here also highlight that short-term repeatability (ten days' time intervals) of MNR was modest whereas long-term repeatability (within years) measurements was relatively low, although comparable to that of hygienic behaviour [50,51], a main trait used as a selection criterion in several breeding programs. Measuring hygienic behaviour has successfully led to the selection of hygienic honey bees [52] meaning that nevertheless there is potential for MNR to be used for selection if its heritability is high enough, which still has to be confirmed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Descriptive Analysis of the Varroa Non-reproduction Trait in Honey Bee Colonies and Association with Other Traits Related to Varroa Resistance

Sann¹,

Basso²,

Guirao³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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In the current context of worldwide honey bee colony losses, among which the varroa mite plays a major role, hope to improve honey bee health lies in part in the breeding of varroa resistant colonies. To do so, methods used to evaluate varroa resistance need better understanding. Repeatability and correlations between traits such as Mite Non-Reproduction (MNR), Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) and hygienic behaviour are poorly known, due to practical limitations and to their underlying complexity. We investigate (i) the variability, (ii) repeatability of the MNR score and (iii) its correlation with other resistance traits. To reduce the inherent variability of MNR scores, we propose to apply an Empirical Bayes correction. On the short-term (ten days) MNR had a modest repeatability of 0.4 whereas on the long- term (a month) it had a low repeatability of 0.2, similar to other resistance traits. Within our dataset there was no correlation between MNR and VSH. Although MNR is amongst the most popular varroa resistance estimates in field studies, its underlying complex mechanism is not fully understood. Its lack of correlation with better described resistance traits and low repeatability suggest that MNR need to be interpreted cautiously, especially when used for selection.

show abstract

Hygienic behaviour in honeybees: a comparison of two recording methods and estimation of genetic parameters

Cited by 19 publications

References 21 publications

Estimates of genetic parameters for production, behaviour, and health traits in two Swiss honey bee populations

Estimates of genetic parameters for production, behaviour, and health traits in two Swiss honey bee populations

Descriptive Analysis of the Varroa Non-Reproduction Trait in Honey Bee Colonies and Association with Other Traits Related to Varroa Resistance

Descriptive Analysis of the Varroa Non-reproduction Trait in Honey Bee Colonies and Association with Other Traits Related to Varroa Resistance

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