The project for a National Institute began in the 1920s, with the law n. 526/26 for the defense of apiculture. In 1933 the Provincial Council of Bologna Corporations, together with the National Confederation of Farmers and the University of Bologna, signed the convention that created the Association for the National Instutute of Apiculture. Thanks to the extraordinary subsidies given by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies and the Cassa di Risparmio of Bologna, the Association created the National Institute for Apiculture. The deed of foundation is represented by the Royal Decree n. 1049 of the 16th of June 1938. After that, the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies has almost completely funded the charges for ordinary activities, so that the Institute has been provided with suitable laboratory structures in order to become the main Italian point of reference for beekeeping issues and problems. Since the foundation, the National Institute of Apiculture has been located in the Zoocolture Institute of the Agrarian Faculty (University of Bologna). Since 1997, there is also a branch in Bologna, funded by the Ministry of Agricultural Policies, provided with modern structures and laboratories for the continuous development of the beekeeping sector. Since 1981, the Institute has also a Task Force in Reggio Emilia, situated by the Agrarian Faculty of the University of Bologna (course for Science of Animal Production) working as a selection center for the Apis Mellifera Ligustica(the Italian bee) and laboratory for instrumental insemination. The Task Force has been the first Italian center to specialize in the instrumental insemination of queens and to apply this technique to the programs of genetic selection for bees. It collaborates also with other organizations (University, ASL, zootechnical Institutes, beekeeping associations) in order to realize particular research, to organize the territorial preventive treatment, and to help the beekeepers with the diagnostic service. Since the 1st of October 2004, the National Institute of Apiculture is part of the Cra: the Council for Research and Sperimentation of Agriculture. The description is taken from the website:http://www. inapicoltura. org