Lloyd Watson and the discovery of instrumental Insemination of Queen Bees
Scientists and some beekeepers have long sought to inseminate Queen bees artificially. As with other ‘farmed’ animals, there is a perceived benefit to this type of control as it enables us to select and enhance the features we wish to see in the animal. In this instance, what is sought are calmer bees, more productivity, better resistance to illnesses and parasites, etc. However, while some sought these results, the first attempts to control the Queen Bees’ mating failed. There were also other questions, mostly an uncertainty about how useful artificial insemination was for beekeeping. Beekeepers asked: what is to be gained?
In this week’s Honeybee Histories, we examine the first success of artificial insemination of a Queen Bee by Dr Lloyd R. Watson.
