William P. Nye

Selecting and Breeding Honeybees for Collecting Alfalfa Pollen

SUMMARYSelection within lines of honeybees showing high and low preference for collection of alfalfa pollen was continued through the third and fourth generations. In the line showing high preference the average percentage of pollen-collecting bees that were collectors of alfalfa pollen increased from 39·8% in the second generation to 49·8% in the third, and to 66·4% in the fourth. In the line showing low preference the corresponding percentages were 26·2%, 14·8% and 7·6%. Hybridization of the two lines resulted in an intermediate F1. Although the value of these bees in increasing seed production has not been tested, results suggest that commercially useful strains or hybrids could be developed.

Preliminary Report on Selection and Breeding of Honeybees for Alfalfa Pollen Collection

SUMMARYSome colonies of honeybees on alfalfa collect a much higher percentage of alfalfa pollen than others. The possibility of genetic differences between colonies was investigated. Colonies collecting high and low percentages of alfalfa pollen were first selected. Daughters of queens from three ‘high’ and three ‘low’ colonies were inseminated from their brothers, and colonies headed by queens of these six lines were tested. Colonies headed by sister queens were more similar in the proportion of alfalfa pollen they collected than were those headed by unrelated queens. This suggests heritability of the factor studied. On the other hand no correlation was found with colonies headed by the mother queens, nor between those headed by the mother queens in the first and the second year. Queens from ‘high’ and ‘low’ lines were selected for mating and testing in 1964.

Selective Breeding of Honeybees for Alfalfa Pollen Collection: Sixth Generation and Outcrosses

SummaryFive groups of honeybee colonies were tested for their tendency to collect alfalfa pollen. One group was the sixth generation of a line with a strong tendency to collect this pollen (high line); another was the sixth generation of a line with a low tendency to collect it (low line). In these two groups an average of 86% and 8%, respectively, of the pollen collectors collected alfalfa pollen; this represented little improvement over the fifth generation (Nye & Mackensen, 1968). A third group was a commercial strain (which ranked low, 31%), but the fourth (an outcross of high-line queens to drones of the commercial strain) and a fifth (an outcross of high-line drones to queens of another stock) ranked intermediate, at 52% and 59%, respectively, and were significantly higher than the commercial strain. The number of alfalfa pollen collectors was highest (29) in the high line; it was the same (18) in both outcrosses, this being slightly but not significantly higher than in the commercial strain (16). T...

Selective Breeding of Honeybees for Alfalfa Pollen: Fifth Generation and Backcrosses

SummarySelection within lines for honeybees showing strong and weak tendencies toward collection of alfalfa pollen was continued through the fifth generation. In the line with a strong tendency (high line), the average percentage of pollen collectors collecting alfalfa pollen increased from 66% in the fourth generation to 85% in the fifth. In the line with the weak tendency (low line), the corresponding percentages were 8% and 18%. Backcrosses of the two lines resulted in an intermediate mean. At Howell, Utah, where other pollen than alfalfa was scarce, the percentages were 99% and 53% for the high and low lines respectively, and at Fielding, Utah, where other pollen was abundant, they were 54% and 2%. Although we have not compared the productive ability of the high line with that of commercial bees, results suggest that commercially useful strains could be developed.

The Influence of Photoperiod on the Flight Activity of Honeybees

SummaryHoneybees in controlled-environment rooms developed flight activity patterns in response to the cycles of light and dark. As the photophase was lengthened, flight activity per unit time decreased, and in continuous light the diurnal rhythm faded. By altering the timing of the photophase, bees could be conditioned to high flight activity at times other than their “normal” peak flight period in the afternoon.

Selective Breeding of Honeybees for Alfalfa Pollen Collection: With Tests in High and Low Alfalfa Pollen Collection Regions

SummaryFour groups of honeybees were tested for their tendency to collect alfalfa pollen in south-western Idaho (where honeybees do not normally collect alfalfa pollen) and in northern Utah (where they do). In the seventh generation of the line with a strong tendency to collect alfalfa pollen (high line), the percentage of pollen collectors returning to the hive with alfalfa pollen was 35·6 % in Idaho and 87·4 % in Utah; the average percentage in the line with a low tendency to collect alfalfa pollen (low line) was 9·9% in Idaho and 36·4% in Utah. The percentages of alfalfa pollen collectors in the two mating groups of line B (an unrelated strain) occupied an intermediate position, at 15·7 and 17·7% respectively in Idaho and 77·0 and 64·1 % in Utah.In Idaho, the high line possessed the highest mean number of alfalfa pollen collectors per sample (15); line B (average for both groups) had an intermediate number (9); and the low line the lowest (4). In Utah, the three corresponding groups of colonies occupie...

Observations on the Behaviour of Bees in a Controlled-Environment Room

SUMMARYA detailed description is given of a controlled-environment flight room for the study of bee behaviour both in and outside the colony. Experiments demonstrated the ability of a colony to collect pollen, sugar syrup and water in the room, and to rear brood normally, increasing its strength throughout 1½ months in spring. The behaviour of bees collecting powdered pollen from a tray 30 ft. [10 m.] from the hive was influenced by the amount and distribution of light in the room.

Utilization of Additional Species and Populations of Leafcutter Bees for Alfalfa Pollination

SummaryThe introduction and establishment in the United States of species of Eutricharaea (an Old World subgenus of Megachile) are reviewed. A comparison was made by field-cage studies of American and Spanish populations of M. pacifica and an American population of M. concinna. Significant differences included the following. Spanish pacifica showed the lowest mortality in immature stages (9%). M. concinna built about 4 times as many cells as the other bees, and was the most successful in rearing second-generation adults; seed production was also highest in the M. concinna cages. It is important on economic grounds that the possibilities of rearing other alfalfa pollinators than M. pacifica should be explored further.

Pollen Collection from Alsike Clover by High and Low Alfalfa Pollen Collecting Lines and by a Commercial Line of Honeybees

SummaryThe collection of alsike clover pollen by high alfalfa pollen collecting (APC) and low alfalfa pollen collecting lines of honeybees and by bees from commercial colonies were compared at Donnelly, Idaho, U.S.A., in an area where alsike clover was flowering. All three lines collected an overwhelmingly high percentage of alsike clover pollen (92–99%), and there were no significant differences between them. A limited amount of rape pollen was collected every day by all groups, and also a small amount of dandelion pollen on one or two days. Only one (high APC) colony collected pollen from a small nearby field of alfalfa, and only one (low APC) colony collected pollen from scattered patches of Senecio spp.

Management of Honeybee Colonies for Pollination in Cages

The use of bees for pollination is extending in various directions, and each extension brings with it new problems to be solved. In fields and orchards, the main problem may be to get the bees to visit all the flowers. In a small plot, this can be ensured by enclosing the plot and a hive of bees in a cage, but special steps are then needed to ensure the well-being of the bees. In this article Mr. Nye, who is on the staff of the Entomology Research Division of the United States Department of Agriculture, describes the colony management necessary. The work was done at Logan, Utah, in co-operation with Utah Agricultural Experiment Station.