Tainan Beekeeper Adopts Agricultural Improvement Station Technology to Breed Disease-Resistant and High-Yielding Bee Strains

(CNA, Tainan, July 1st) Kang Mei-xiang, a beekeeper from Xinhua District, Tainan City, who was previously recognized as one of the top 100 young farmers, has collaborated with the Miaoli District Agricultural Improvement Station. By adopting the "Bee Hybrid Trait Retention Technology," she has successfully bred improved bee strains that are disease-resistant and have high honey-gathering capabilities. The first batch of 300 queen bees has been produced, injecting new momentum into the beekeeping industry.

The Tainan City Government's Agriculture Bureau and Kang Mei-xiang held a press conference today to showcase the breeding results of the improved bee strains, displaying the cultivated bee colonies and their specialized hives.

Kang Mei-xiang stated that the domestic beekeeping industry has long faced challenges such as weakened bee colonies, increased pest and disease issues, and climate change. Establishing and stably reproducing superior bee strains has become a crucial factor for the industry's sustainable development. With technical guidance from the Miaoli District Agricultural Improvement Station, the hybrid trait retention technology was used for breeding, effectively preserving the characteristics of superior bee strains and preventing colony degeneration caused by inbreeding.

Kang Mei-xiang added that based on actual breeding and field observations, the newly cultivated bee colonies show approximately a 30% increase in honey production compared to traditional strains. In the future, she will continue to follow the technical standards of the improvement station to establish a professional breeding system, cultivating high-quality, stable, and industrially competitive bee strains to help improve bee colony health and production efficiency, thereby promoting the development of Taiwan's beekeeping industry.

Information provided by the Tainan City Agriculture Bureau indicates that the domestic beekeeping industry has historically relied on beekeepers for self-propagation and seed retention, lacking a systematic breeding mechanism for a long time. This often led to gradual decline in bee strain vitality due to inbreeding, affecting bee colony health and reducing the quality and yield of bee products such as honey.

The Agriculture Bureau pointed out that the Miaoli District Agricultural Improvement Station, after five years of research, has used "cleanliness" and "honey-gathering ability" as key selection indicators. Through techniques such as strain screening, trait evaluation, and hybrid improvement, they have successfully bred superior bee strains that possess disease resistance, high honey-gathering capacity, and genetic stability. This technology has been transferred and promoted to the industry. (Editor: Li Xi-zhang) 1150701

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