The Influence of Environmental Factors on Site Selection Augment Breeding Success in Honey Bees: An Insight of Honey Bee Genetic Resource Conservation

Simple Summary Addressing challenges of controlled breeding in honey bees at natural mating stations is important in controlling and maintaining valuable traits of biological and economic interest. Basically, artificial insemination and natural mating are the two reproductive techniques used by beekeepers in maintaining honey bees' genetic resources. However, little is known on the various sources of variation affecting breeding success at different mating stations. Our study provides an insight, addressing key questions to improve mating success rate of controlled breeding. Selecting mating stations with the maximum cost benefit return is a motivating tool in maintaining valuable genetic materials of honey bees. Our results demonstrated that breeding success of natural mating at controlled mating stations is influenced by the environmental conditions of the area. Mating success rate was high in mating stations with a high percentage of bare land, coniferous forests, deciduous forests, fields, and mixed forests. We suggest that mating stations with mixed forest and fields are potential sites for successful breeding and maintenance of honey bees' genetic resources.Abstract Honey bee reproductive behavior involves a complicated mating system that embodies a number of factors, including environmental and human-induced factors. Controlled breeding in isolated mating stations is a prerequisite to maintain the genetic resources of honey bees through natural mating. The concept of controlled mating is a challenge in most beekeeping operations due to its low mating success rate. Therefore, a detailed investigation into the suitability of isolated mating stations is of interest. Thus, we bred two subspecies of honey bees (Apis cerana koreana and Apis mellifera L.) in isolated mating stations (island) from 2021 to 2023 and in an open breeding station in 2023. Our results demonstrate that the highest percentage of the mating success rate in isolated mating stations was recorded in the Wido Island, which had the highest percentage of bare land, coniferous forests, deciduous forests, fields, and mixed forests. The mating success rate was higher in the summer and spring for A. cerana and A. mellifera, respectively. The mating success rate was higher in open mating compared to controlled mating (Island) and did not vary between pure-breeding and cross-breeding lines. Our findings suggested that mating stations with mixed forest and fields are potential sites for the successful breeding of honey bees.