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BIBBA Bee Breeding Groups
Local Bee Breeding Groups
BIBBA encourages the formation of local groups for the identification, conservation and
improvement of native bees in any part of the British Isles or elsewhere. A local group
can pool expertise of different types... bee management, record keeping, queen raising,
equipment making, morphometry and other things and maximise the number of bee colonies
under management and study. Groups can liaise with one another and with scientific
institutions. They can spread the message of BIBBA, and distribute genetic material
beyond their own confines to wider circles of beekeepers.
The BIBBA Groups Secretary can give advice and put groups in touch with one another.
Email link disabled until a new Groups Secretary is appointed.
Two particularly active BIBBA groups are the Galtee Bee Breeders' Group, Ireland and the
East Midlands Group, but there are others and the menu at upper left can be expanded to
accommodate your group if you can send suitable text and images to our website editor
Email link for website editor... web-editor@bibba.com
Forming a breeding group
An obvious requirement in forming a breeding group is to find like-minded beekeepers. Ask
the BIBBA Groups Secretary for the names and addresses of BIBBA members in your area, contact
these and any other known beekeepers near you, and ask them to meet to discuss forming a
breeding group.
Read 'Breeding Better Bees', by John E. Dews and Eric Milner, and contact our BIBBA Groups
Secretary for advice.
Suggested items for discussion at an early stage are:
That the group will aim to use the Native Dark European honeybee
Apis mellifera mellifera or as close to it as available. A survey of stocks held by group members to find if there are suitable stocks for breeding purposes. Possible mating sites offering some degree of isolation. Are there skills within the group for instrumental insemination?
(This is not as difficult as some may believe.) Provision of queen raising equipment such as mating nucs.
This first meeting should indicate if there is the determination to form a breeding group,
and a group can consist of as few as two like minded beekeepers. Assuming the decision is
to carry on, there may be more questions than answers, but identifying the problems is
halfway to solving them.
BIBBA may be able to help with finding good breeding stock for Apis mellifera mellifera from which to make a start on your breeding programme, you should attempt to find as many unrelated lines as possible and keep accurate records of crossings, where these can be determined.
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