Bee breeding and queen rearing are not the same, but many beekeepers think they are. Queen rearing is the process of producing queen honey bees by whatever method is chosen by the beekeeper, whereas breeding is the process of selection that brings about the lines to be propagated by queen rearing and any culling that is carried out. Even when the queens are reared, there is still further selection required to ensure that the progeny are up to the 'correct' specification. Bee breeding is a continuous process. Drone rearing is also of prime importance, but is often not properly considered. Many beekeepers get a mental block about "bee breeding" and "queen rearing", because they automatically think it is difficult. I much prefer the term "Bee Improvement" as it sounds less difficult.

This page of links to various bee breeding items should enable beekeepers to navigate this website more easily.