This week we report on some interesting research once again from our busy friends at Université Laval. These workers look to improve our honey bee stocks and ensure that we are developing regionally adapted bees. We examine this research and see if science has the answers.
Honey harvesting and extraction are still dominating our activities this time of year. Do you know if your honey has the correct moisture content? If not read on...
Honey Moisture Content
In last week’s blog we defined honey according to international and Canadian standards. These strict definitions indicate that honey must be ripened by the bees in the wax comb. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) states ‘Honey shall be the food produced by honey bees’ and the Codex Alimentarius specifies that the bees must ’store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature’. This process of maturing honey determines the moisture content but is not as simple as removing some of the water from nectar. There are complex enzymatic and dehydration processes as the nectar passes from bee to bee and is ultimately deposited in the honeycomb for final maturation. Once the bees bring the honey down to the correct moisture content, as a hygroscopic (moisture absorbing) liquid, it must be capped with wax to ensure moisture levels remain low.
The moisture content of the honey determines its longevity by
protecting against fermentation and other types of spoilage. It is an indication of the quality of your
honey and a determinant of the grade.
Generally speaking, and according the Codex, polyfloral honey must not be
more than 20% moisture which corresponds to the CFIA stipulation of 17.8% - 20%
moisture depending on processing and grade.
Most beekeepers would expect their wildflower honey to be at or below
18% moisture.
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For beekeepers, ensuring the moisture content of honey can be
done in different ways. Honey that is
capped is assumed to be ripe or mature and therefor will be reduced to a
sufficient moisture content. As a good
practice, we can also measure moisture content with a refractometer. These instruments are easy to use, relatively
inexpensive and available at most good beekeeping supply stores.
Nectar as it is collected from the flower may have a moisture content over 50%. The physiochemical properties of the nectar are transformed to produce a food product which will keep indefinitely and taste great: an amazing feat of honey bees. Another amazing aspect of honey is the variability in color, flavor and texture. These additional features all contribute to the grade of the honey which will be one of our topics for next week!
Genetic Selection May Improve Canadian Honey Bees
Our region, with a short season and long
winters, presents challenges for beekeeping.
Apis mellifera, as a species has not evolved for this climate and has
been forced to adapt from its natural range in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In spite of how well they seen to adjust, an awareness is emerging of how locally adapted genetics, especially in
terms of queens, will improve our stock and our regional independence as
beekeepers. It still remains to be seen
if this adaptation can be expedited through the use of selective breeding
techniques to enhance our regions honey bees.
This is an area of interest for Canadian researchers.
A breeding program, or as it is sometimes termed genetic
selection, depends on heritability. Heritability means the ability of a trait, such as honey production, to be identified and
improved through breeding programs. Heritability
is usually measured statistically when applied to the process of genetic
selection and displayed as h2. A trait that is completely dependant on
genetics will have a heritability measurement of near 1 (e.g. h2
= 0.9). If a trait is almost entirely
independent of genetics it would have a heritability measure of near zero (e.g.
h2 = 0.01).
So traits that are highly heritable (values near 1) are more
easily selected for breeding programs. Inversely,
traits that are near zero (usually less than 0.15) are more influenced by
environmental factors and therefor not useful in a breeding program. This theoretical model is the basis for many
animal breeding programs. Well know
models like the Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) have been used for improving
other production animal’s performance.
For example, through the use of breeding models, like BLUP, average Holstein
cow milk production has risen from 5149kg per year in 1960 to 10,909kg per year
in 2019 (Canadian Dairy Information Center).
Recently, a team of Canadian researchers has contributed to
a better understanding of the heritability of economically significant honey bee
traits. This team also set out to
determine if genetic selection models, established for improving other
production animals, can be applied to honey bees. The team, led by Pierre Giovenazzo and located
at the Centre de recherche en sciences animales de Deschambault (CRSAD) Québec,
stated the objective of their work was to estimate genetic parameters with a
view to improve their zootechnical performance through a genetic selection
program. They selected five positive
honey bee traits: Varroa destructor infestation, spring development, honey
production, winter consumption (as a reflection of hardiness), and hygienic
behavior. They found that all of these
traits are heritable with values ranging from h2 = 0.44 to h2
= 0.09. Importantly, all of these also showed
no negative correlations for each other.
This means that if you selectively breed for one trait the others will
be unaltered or improved.
These workers concluded that their research will help
ensure the sustainability and productivity of the Canadian beekeeping industry. This may be a significant development leading to regionally adapted honey bees with increased pollination
capacity, disease resistance and honey production. This model can be extended to additional
traits, such as gentleness, for additional improvements. A great step forward for our industry if this
theory can be put into practice!
Click below to link to full article:
Genetic Parameters of Honey Bee Colonies Traits in a Canadian Selection Program
Connecting with ATTTA Specialists
If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:
visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/
Email abyers@perennia.ca
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