There is much ongoing research on honey bees over the last 100 years, mainly due to vital role of honey bees in our society, especially in agriculture, economics, food security, medicine and even computing technologies. Our knowledge is growing faster than our ability to absorb it. Low reproduction level and inefficient production of Iranian colonies, resulted in importation of a variety honey bee breeds. The most common and prominent honey bee species in Iran is the western honey bee, Apis mellifera, which includes the Iranian honey bee, Carniolan and Iranian×Carniolan hybrids. The objective of this study was to identify effects of crossbreeding on the grooming behavior in the Iranian (Apis mellifera meda) bees. In the beginning of March 2021(the end of wintering season of colonies), eight colonies of each three bee breeds were selected randomly and uniformed based on the honey and pollen storages, number of brood frames, initial population and type of the hives (Langstroth hive). The tested colonies did not receive any chemical treatments during the experiment period. Data collection and recording of egg-laying rate and brood rearing were performed weekly during the spring 2021 at the Honey Bee Research Centre, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran (35.27788; 46.99562). Results indicated that Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnica) bees exhibited proper and favorable performance for grooming behavior, significantly(p<0.05). However, hybrid bees were more efficient in comparison of indigenous bee, indicated positive heterosis of crosses and complementarity between breeds. It is clear that grooming behavior could improve pest and disease resistance of the colonies. Controlled use of the higher performance lines in terms of pure or hybrid types, will improve the efficiency of the honey bee colonies and recommended.
