Q rearing by numbers

[gavin]

On the size of the gene pool, it depends. If you are planning continually bringing in breeder stock then the number of queens used now doesn't matter too much. But be wary of restricting the diversity. In general 50+ colonies are advised in a breeding group and you should spread queen raising around several to many of your better queens.

If, for example, you graft only from one queen all summer and requeen all your stocks with that line (mated with a diversity of drones) then there will be only a maximum of two different alleles at each gene for each drone in your population next year. Drones come from only the genes carried in the queen's own cells, and none of the genetic variation she carries in her spermatheca gets used for drones (they come from unfertilised eggs of course). This is very likely to lead to serious inbreeding.

[Jon]

Thing is, there are quite a number of groups working with Amm in Scotland Ireland and Wales and we could work together with regard to the genetic material.