Environmental factors influence site selection and augment breeding success in honey bees: an insight into honey bee reproductive success

Honey bee reproductive behavior involves a complicated mating system comprising a number of factors, which include but are not limited to environmental and human-induced aspects. Honey bee breeders have developed reproductive techniques involving artificial insemination and natural mating to maintain bee genetic material. Controlled breeding in isolated mating stations is a prerequisite to maintain genetic resources in honey bees through natural mating. The concept of controlled mating is a challenge in most beekeeping operations due to its low mating success rate. A detailed investigation on the suitability of isolated mating stations is of interest. We bred two subspecies of honey bees (Apis cerana koreana and Apis mellifera L.) in isolated mating stations (islands) from 2021 to 2023 and in an open breeding station in 2023, in the Republic of Korea. Our results demonstrate that the highest percentage of mating success rate in isolated mating stations was recorded on Wido Island, which has the highest percentage of bare land, as well as coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests and fields. Mating success rates were higher in summer and spring for A. cerana and A. mellifera, respectively. Mating success rates were higher in open mating (Wanju) compared to isolated mating (island) and did not vary between pure breeding and cross-breeding lines. Our findings suggest that mating stations in mixed forests and fields are potential sites for the successful breeding of honey bees.