As we have reported previously, we have been very busy tackling the mountain of antenna samples that need to be dissected to analyze their proteins and ultimately find markers for selective breeding. Now, we are happy to report that all the antenna samples are finally processed and we’ve moved on to the only slightly less daunting task: protein extraction. To put the scale of this project into perspective, over 50,000 individual bees have now been dissected, making a total of ~2,700 samples to analyze. This is a mind-boggling number of samples: after the protein is prepared, it will take one mass spectrometry instrument (the piece of equipment that lets us identify and measure the proteins) about 250 days to complete the analysis. However, the data to come out the other end will certainly be worth it!