Advanced selection program for Authentic Apis mellifera carnica

The main reason for keeping drone colonies is to provide an adequate number of mature drones of selected origin, in the right period, for mating.

Breeding drones of the Carniolan bee is important for maintaining and improving their desirable traits. However, there are some challenges in breeding drones of the Carniolan bee.
One of the challenges is that honey bee breeding poses unique challenges in that selection is at the colony and population level.
Another challenge is that the genetic composition of a colony influences many aspects of drone quality, including semen volume, sperm cell counts, body weight, and wing morphology. 

Inbreeding can result in the queen laying diploid eggs, which normally would develop as workers. This causes fertilized eggs to develop into drones rather than workers. Diploid drone larvae are removed by the workers soon after hatching, resulting in a “shot brood” pattern and a reduced population of new workers to support the colony.

Therefore, honey bee breeding operations need to ensure that they maintain and breed from a genetically diverse population.