DEVELOPMENT OF BREEDING BUSINESS IN BEEKEEPING
Authors:   Federal Scientific Center of Beekeeping, Borodachev Anatoly Vladimirovich , Savushkina Lyubov Nikolaevna ,   Federal Scientific Center of Beekeeping
Published: October 2024

The theoretical basis of breeding is the biology of honey bees and, first of all, genetics. Scientists of the Moscow State University have made a great contribution to the study of the honey bee. Under the leadership of Professor of Moscow State University G. A. Kozhevnikov, F. A. Tyunin took place, who in 1919 created the Tula Experimental Beekeeping Station, and on its basis in 1930 the Scientific Research Institute of Beekeeping was organized. P. M. Komarov enriched science with his research on the physiology of honey bees, breeding and reproduction of queen bees. V. V. Alpatov's research intraspecific variability of bees served as the basis for the development of a classical methodology for biometric assessment of the exterior features of bees of various breeds. At the Tula experimental beekeeping station, A. S. Mikhailov was the first in Russia to manufacture equipment for instrumental insemination of queen bees and revealed the nature of inheritance of a number of traits in bees. In the 50s, an employee of the Research Institute of Beekeeping V. V. Shakes discovered the phenomenon of polyandry, improved the design of the apparatus for instrumental insemination of queen bees and revealed patterns of inheritance of exterior and interior features in bees. The work planned and carried out during 1964-1975 on the comparative study of the main bee breeds in specific beekeeping zones of the country under the leadership of the Research Institute of Beekeeping was completed by the preparation of the first plan for the breed zoning of bees in 1979 in 1992. according to the results of the approbation, the order of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia approved the breeding achievement of the breed type "Prioksky", bred by the staff of the Research Institute of Beekeeping on the basis of crossing the gray mountain Caucasian and Central Russian breeds. The work on the breeding and testing of bees was carried out, as a result of which the Bashkir (2006), Far Eastern (2016), breed types Orlovsky (2008), Tatar (2010), Burzyanskaya Bortevaya (2011) of the Central Russian breed were approved and entered into the register of breeding achievements, "Krasnopolyansky (2008) gray mountain Caucasian, "Maykop" (2006), "Moscow" (2017) Carpathian breeds. Improved technologies of reproduction of high-quality queens with the use of modern inventory and equipment are proposed, the use of which allows to increase the productivity of bee colonies by 10-15%, and the yield of royal jelly by two times. In the 90s, according to the results of research by the staff of the Research Institute of Beekeeping and the Institute of General Genetics, the technology of deep freezing of drone sperm in liquid nitrogen at t-196 0C was patented. According to the results of selection and breeding work, the leading farms in Russia are recognized: for the gray mountain Caucasian breed - Krasnopolyanskaya experimental station of beekeeping, and for the Carpathian - "Maikopskoye", which are currently branches of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "FNC of Beekeeping". The Oryol Experimental Beekeeping Station was specialized in breeding Central Russian bees. Along with classical methods, the Research Institute of Beekeeping, in cooperation with the Institute of General Genetics and the Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, has begun work on the use of molecular genetic methods for identifying breeds of bees in Russia. The accumulated knowledge and experience in genetics, breeding and reproduction of bees is summarized in a number of publications and is widely covered in periodicals. The Research Institute of Beekeeping is approved by the breeding and information center for bee breeds and performs scientific and methodological guidance, as well as coordination of breeding work in the country. To this end, the necessary regulatory documents have been developed and a number of methodological recommendations have been issued for conducting breeding work in beekeeping.