The New World Carniolan Breeding Project is a cooperative effort between a group of commercial queen producers and the Ohio State University. It is working model of the Page-Laidlaw Closed Population Breeding Program.

Our goal is to maintain the integrity of a uniform and productive Carniolan population and to improve the general performance of the stock over time to benefit the beekeeping industry.

We are also selecting for resistance to tracheal mites and specific traits, such as hygienic behavior, that will contribute toward reduction of diseases and Varroa mites infestations.

Initially, various stocks from across the U.S. and Canada were collected, back crossed and evaluated to establish our foundation population. The New World Carniolan, NWC, line was established in 1982 in California at Vaca Valley Apiaries by Susan Cobey and Timothy Lawrence.

In 1990 the breeding program was moved to The Ohio State University and a Cooperative formed with a group of California Queen Producers. OSU is now expanding the program and offering breeding stock to the industry.

An annual evaluation program and the use of instrumental insemination are utilized to select and maintain the NWC population. Each year a new generation of several hundred queens are instrumentally inseminated, established in full size colonies and field tested. These colonies are evaluated and the top performers selected as breeders to establish the next generation, and the cycle is repeated.

The goal of the NWC program is to increase the frequency and consistency of desirable characteristics in the NWC population over time. Our annual evaluation and selection program is designed to maintain the integrity of a uniform and productive gene pool.

We are also selecting to reduce the incidence of diseases and parasitic mites. Selection for resistance to tracheal mites has increased the hardiness of this stock. Selection for hygienic behavior is designed to reduce the incidence of disease and Varroa mites.