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Life
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Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Honeybees: Second Edition
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Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Honeybees: Second Edition

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1807

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xiao Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: unraveling the genetic mechanism of honeybee reproduction; identifying genes related to reproductive traits; the reproductive traits breeding work
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Honeybee genetics, breeding, and reproduction is a rapidly developing field. In recent decades, quantitative, population, and molecular genetic approaches have been used to elucidate the biological mechanisms of important traits in honeybees. Moreover, advanced genetic and genomic technologies, such as next-generation sequencing and genomics applications, have advanced our understanding of the mechanisms of complex traits in honeybees, including collection ability, ovarian activation, egg-laying, and varroa resistance. Functional gene identification of important traits has been extensively studied in honeybees. Gene editing is of great value for characterizing gene function and will be a future challenge in honeybee breeding. This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in honeybee genetics, breeding, and reproduction in various fields, including but not limited to the following topics: new methods of honeybee breeding; the collection and analysis of honeybee germplasm resources; the selection and breeding of honeybee main traits; functional gene identification of important traits of honeybees; hybrid breeding of honeybees; and the application of biotechnology in honeybee breeding. Experts in the field are welcome to submit contributions in the form of research papers and reviews.

Dr. Xiao Chen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phenomics
  • genetics
  • genomics
  • functional genomics
  • metabolomics
  • functional genes identification
  • genetics editing
  • genome selection
  • genetic evaluation
  • hybrid breeding
  • egg-laying
  • honey production
  • queen breeding
  • varroa resistance

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4761 KiB  
Article
Investigation and Study on the Biology and Morphology of Apis florea and Apis dorsata in Southern China
by Xinying Qu, Xinru Zhang, Tian Sun, Zequn Qiu, Qihuang Lu, Zhenghui Bi, Hanrong Qin, Junjun Hu, Peng Tang, Lianfei Cao and Xiao Chen
Life 2025, 15(3), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15030341 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 612
Abstract
Honey bees are crucial pollinators that play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance. The colonies of managed honey bees in China increased rapidly in the past 20 years. Whether the rapid increase in managed bee populations would affect the survival of wild [...] Read more.
Honey bees are crucial pollinators that play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance. The colonies of managed honey bees in China increased rapidly in the past 20 years. Whether the rapid increase in managed bee populations would affect the survival of wild honey bees deserves attention. There are four species of the genus Apis in Guangxi, China, including Apis florea, Apis dorsata, Apis mellifera ligustica, and Apis cerana. This study conducted an investigation on the biological characteristics of the four species and measured 40 morphological characteristics. The results showed that for the four species, their swarming periods, mating periods, the emergence of drones, and the nectar and pollen source plants highly overlap. This leads to potential competition for the optimum mating space, nectar, and pollen. The comparison of morphological traits between samples collected in 2012 and 2023 showed that the aspect ratios of the forewings of both Apis florea and Apis dorsata have significantly increased. This change may be attributed to the rapid increase in managed honey bees’ populations, which has encroached upon the living spaces of A. florea and A. dorsata. The results of coefficient of variations showed that Apis florea and Apis dorsata exhibit high genetic diversity. Our results indicated that the increased colonies’ number of managed honey bees has an effect on Apis florea and Apis dorsata, but they are not facing great threats to their survival. Continuous monitoring of the the diversity of Apis florea and Apis dorsata must be maintained. Preserving wild honey bees is of great significance for the ecological balance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Honeybees: Second Edition)
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14 pages, 8930 KiB  
Article
Investigations on Beekeeping and Breeding of Apis cerana in China
by Xinying Qu, Xinru Zhang, Guiqian Zhang, Hanrong Qin, Huixia Zhang, Huiyu Tian and Xiao Chen
Life 2025, 15(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15010009 - 25 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 797
Abstract
The worldwide value of the honey bee as an agricultural animal is increasingly being recognized. Not only does the honey bee directly produce useful agricultural products, but also large portions of crops are dependent on the pollination activities of honey bees. Apis cerana [...] Read more.
The worldwide value of the honey bee as an agricultural animal is increasingly being recognized. Not only does the honey bee directly produce useful agricultural products, but also large portions of crops are dependent on the pollination activities of honey bees. Apis cerana (A. cerana), the native honey bee of China, is widely distributed in the country. Studying the biological environment and colony management of A. cerana is important for its conservation and breeding. This study investigated the apiculture of A. cerana among a total of 201 beekeepers in the eastern, southern, northwestern and central regions of China and conducted data analysis on the surveyed data. The results showed that the most favorite traits for beekeepers are colony size, colony health and honey production. Compared with Apis mellifera ligustica, A. cerana is more adaptable to low temperature and scattered nectar sources. The results help to optimize the breeding programs of A. cerana and further contribute to substantive breeding accomplishments with honey bees which have enhanced their role in modern agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Honeybees: Second Edition)
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