The importance of in situ and ex situ protection of honey bee (Apis mellifera) in Poland with emphasis on drone semen cryopreservation

Human activities, new technologies and climate change may significantly affect the worldwide decline of livestock populations, including the honey bee (Apis mellifera) in the coming years. In Poland, animal conservation efforts with a particular emphasis on small populations of native breeds are focused on in situ protection programs, i.e., preserving animals in their natural environment, with limited use of breeding methods. A total of four lines/breeds of the Middle European Bee subspecies (Apis mellifera mellifera), including Kampinoska, Augustowska, Asta and North bee, and one line/breed of the Carniolan honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera carnica), designated as Carniolan Good, undergo the in situ protection. Whereas, the use of ex situ methods offers the possibility of indefinite storage of biological material from animals that exhibit unique functional traits, such as productivity, gentleness, as well as winter hardiness, hygienic behavior and adaptation of bee colony development to environmental conditions. The article presents the current state of knowledge and future goals related not only to the in situ protection program of honey bee native breeds in Poland, but also ex situ methods that can and should be implemented as a complement to in situ strategies. Opening up the possibilities for the purposes of short- and long-term conservation of drone semen in the future may become a way that will contribute to the effective management of honey bee genetic resources in Poland.