Our main apiary is in the Caprario Valley, on the slopes of Monte Maggiore near the Samnite site of Trebula Belliensis. It is the base for our work with Apis mellifera ligustica, in an area where local history and a variety of habitats shape our day-to-day breeding and selection work.

Our other apiaries span different environments, from the Tyrrhenian coast to the Apennines. Observing colonies in these conditions lets us compare their development through the seasons. Flowering patterns, climate and management all affect the results. Comparisons between colonies and their offspring take these factors into account alongside genetics.

We select breeding stock over time. Apiary observations, pedigree records and laboratory work guide our choice of crosses and how we assess their offspring. Feedback from beekeepers using our queens adds another point of comparison, which we interpret alongside their management conditions and our own observations.

Apiary location is one part of our breeding programme. Establishing reproductive isolation or confirming paternity in natural mating requires additional evidence. For planned crosses, instrumental insemination lets us match queens with selected groups of drones. We then monitor the resulting colonies and review the evidence collected over time.

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Learn about instrumental insemination →