Content
- 1 How to raise queen bees
- 2 Queen hatch calendar
- 3 Artificial insemination of queens
- 4 Simple ways to hatch queen bees without transferring larvae
- 5 Breeding queen bees with transfer of larvae
- 6 Nicot system for the withdrawal of queens
- 7 Conclusion of queens according to the Kashkovsky method
- 8 Removal of queens in micronuclei
- 9 How to breed queen bees according to the Kemerovo system
- 10 Conclusion
Every beekeeper knows that self-hatching of queens must be carried out in accordance with the calendar. This will help to prepare in a timely manner to replace the old uterus in unforeseen situations. There are a number of rules that are important to follow during this process.
How to raise queen bees
In each bee family, the uterus performs reproductive functions. Her duties include mating with drones and laying eggs. The life expectancy of a queen bee under certain conditions can reach 8 years. But her reproductive capacity decreases every year, which has a negative impact on the quality of the crop. Therefore, beekeepers try to replace the queen of the family with a younger individual every 2 years. There are several ways to remove queens:
- transfer method;
- Zander method;
- artificial insemination;
- Alley method.
Beekeepers carry out the withdrawal of queen bees in a natural and artificial way. Most often, artificial swarming is stimulated or bees are persuaded to deposit fistulous queen cells. Also, the Kashkovsky method is often used and insulators are used.
If the beekeeper does not pay sufficient attention to the removal of swarm queens, fistulous ones are naturally excreted. They are inferior to artificially grown queen bees in quality.
Queen hatch calendar
Before thinking about breeding a new queen, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the queen bee hatching calendar. You also need to take care of the availability of a rich bribe. Lack of food and bad weather conditions can provoke the hatching of unproductive queens. The most optimal option is to carry out work on the withdrawal of queen bees from late spring to early summer. In the middle lane, it is recommended to start hatching immediately after the flowering of the first honey plants.
Breeding queens in September is a rare occurrence. The bees carry out it on their own if the old queen is sick. In such families, the uterus has time to fly around and prepare for wintering. In the spring, the bee family does not have any problems.
How many days does the uterus leave the mother liquor
Every experienced beekeeper should familiarize himself with the development of the bee queen by day. This will allow a deeper understanding of the process of breeding new queens of the bee family. The withdrawal of the queen bee is carried out in several stages. If drones hatch from unfertilized eggs, then the uterus - from fetal eggs. A larva is formed from the egg, which workers feed with royal jelly throughout the entire life cycle. The fistulous queen can consume food intended for ordinary bees.
In the process of growth, the larvae of the bees begin to form a queen cell. They carry out the process of sealing it on the 7th day. On the 9th day after the sealing of the mother liquor, the new queen gnaws through its shell. The first days after hatching, the uterus is still too weak. During this period, she is engaged in the elimination of competitors. After 4-5 days, it begins to fly over.
How many days does the uterus begin to sow after leaving the mother liquor
Two days after the flight, the process of mating with drones begins. After another 3 days, the first sowing is done. From the moment of leaving the mother liquor, about 10 days pass. Experts recommend not to disturb the bee colony during the reproductive period. Any interference in the life of bees can frighten the queen bee. Inspection can only be carried out in case of urgent need. It is advisable to spend it in the morning without using irritating factors.
Artificial insemination of queens
Breeding queen bees artificially is considered more productive. But it takes a lot of time and effort. It should be borne in mind that a prolific individual is hatched from large 12-hour larvae. With good honey harvest, the quality of the uterus will be better. The most common artificial insemination methods include:
- activating the insulator;
- application of the Nicot system;
- Cebro technique;
- emergency way.
Instrumental insemination of queen bees is considered the most laborious. It is used when it is necessary to reproduce offspring in infertile queens. The procedure is carried out under laboratory conditions. First, semen is collected from the drone. Stimulation of muscle contractions is carried out by pressing on the front wall of the drone abdomen. The next step is to release the queen of the family for a flight, during which she cleans the intestines from feces. To do this, it is enough to plant the insect on a previously closed window frame. Then, with the help of special devices, the infertile queens are inseminated with the collected material.
Simple ways to hatch queen bees without transferring larvae
The hatching of queens in beekeeping is often carried out in the simplest way, which does not imply the transfer of larvae. It consists in moving a frame with larvae from one family to one where the queen is absent. The low productivity of the method is due to the close location of the mother liquors in relation to each other.
When using this technique, it is important to ensure that the queen of the family does not develop active egg production. After its transplantation, honeycombs with egg laying should be removed from the bee nest.
Zander method
The Zander method is considered one of the easiest in uterine breeding. The withdrawal of queens is carried out by replanting mature queens in nuclei or bee colonies. First of all, it is required to prepare narrow strips of honeycombs with larvae. The next step is to divide the strips into parts, in each of which the bud of the future bee will be located. With the help of molten wax, the resulting pieces are attached to wooden blocks. Subsequently, they are placed on a grafting frame.
Alley method
As a result of using the Alley technique, it is possible to rebuild the queen cells at a distance from each other. Honeycombs with young larvae are cut into strips using a hot knife. In places with a large accumulation of brood, more than half of the cells are cut. In the next step, the strip is unfolded in such a way that the cut part is on top. In this position, the cells are thinned out (one is left, the next two are crushed). To make the bees more willing to build queen cells, the cells are expanded with special sticks, avoiding grazing the larvae.
The resulting strips of honeycomb are attached to a frame 5 cm high. There should be two holes in it. The attachment process is carried out using hot wax or wooden studs.
Breeding queen bees with transfer of larvae
The system for removing queens by transferring larvae was first used in 1860 by Gusev. The transfer was carried out using bone sticks with rounded wax ends, externally resembling bowls. Bees were transferred in the egg life cycle.The wax bowls were attached to a frame and then transferred to a new family. This method has become widespread in large bee-breeding farms and farms.
How to make bowls for hatching queens
To make bowls yourself, you will need wooden templates. They are sticks up to 12 cm long. Their end is rounded. After preparing the templates, melt the white wax in a water bath. For the first time, the template is lowered into a container with wax to a depth of 7 mm. Each next time the depth changes by 2 mm. Such manipulations allow you to get a bowl with a solid base and thin walls. The more templates are prepared, the faster the process of making bowls is carried out. In modern beekeeping, ready-made plastic bowls are often used. These can be purchased from a specialist store.
Preparing the vaccination bowl
Before vaccinating the larvae, preparatory steps must be taken. Initially, bowls are placed in a queenless family. This process is carried out directly on the day of the collection of the queen of the family, in the evening hours. Within 8 hours, the bees will polish the bowls, preparing them for the transfer of larvae. During this period, it is important to provide them with royal jelly nutrition. In the future, this will simplify the transfer process by attaching it to the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer of larvae
Transferring the larvae to a homemade bowl beekeepers call grafting. He is considered quite painstaking, since it requires good eyesight and dexterity. The larvae are transferred using a special spatula, which is easy to find in any beekeeper store. As a last resort, you can build it yourself using aluminum wire. Its diameter should not exceed 2 mm. One end is carefully grinded, forming a kind of scapula out of it.
When transferring, take into account the temperature and humidity in the room. The optimum humidity level is 70%. The air temperature should be between 20 and 25 ° C. To achieve the required humidity, it is advisable to hang a damp cloth in the room. The transfer process is best done during the day, in natural light.
For ease of transfer, the honeycomb is trimmed. Using a spatula, each brood is carefully placed in a bowl. It is important to put the instrument under the back of the larva, pressing it to the bottom of the cell. This will avoid damage.
Checking the larvae
Regardless of the method of replanting, the survival rate is checked after 2 days. In the event that there was no open brood in the bee colony, the larvae should be adopted. The success of the reception is indicated by the presence of a sufficient amount of food and the active detuning of the bowls.
Reception of less than 70% of the total indicates the cultivation of a family of fistulous mother liquors. In such a situation, it is necessary to detect and dispose of fistulous mother liquors. If all actions are performed correctly, the bee colony will accept more than 90% of the larvae.
Nicot system for the withdrawal of queens
Beekeeping beginners prefer to use the Nicot system to hatch queens. The instruction is understandable even for a person who is far from caring for a bee hive. The advantages of the system include:
- fast transfer of larvae without physical contact with them, which reduces the risk of damage;
- uninterrupted egg-laying;
- timely withdrawal of young queens.
The Nicot system includes 110 cells. It is based on cells for excretion of queens. In addition to these, there are bowl holders. The artificial honeycomb cassettes are covered with a dividing grid. The bowls on the back are closed with plates.
The set is designed for fast and high-quality hatching of queens. It eliminates the need to use additional tools for transporting larvae. The Nicot system can be made independently using materials at hand. The standard kit helps to breed up to 30 queens, which is quite enough for an average apiary.
Conclusion of queens according to the Kashkovsky method
The withdrawal of queens according to the Kashkovsky method is carried out in several stages. The procedure is performed at the very beginning of honey collection. Initially, layering is made, where the foundation, sealed brood, bee bread, worker bees and the queen of the family are transferred. The layering is removed in a warm place for a month. After finding fistulous queen cells, the beekeeper must sort out the larvae, leaving the largest and healthiest ones. After a while, the old uterus is removed from the hive and a new one is put in its place.
Removal of queens in micronuclei
With the help of micronuclei, elite queens are often removed. In beekeeping, a micronucleus is a structure in which the process of mating of barren queens with drones takes place. Outwardly, it looks like a miniature of an ordinary hive. The use of micronuclei helps to solve the following tasks:
- the possibility of storing fetal queen bees;
- the process of flying around the young queen is faster than usual;
- spare queens can hibernate in myronuclei.
The advantages of using the structure also include the ability to save feed. Beginner beekeepers can populate defective queens in miniature houses and train their skills on them.
How to breed queen bees according to the Kemerovo system
During the period of honey collection, they often practice the withdrawal of fistulous uterus according to the Kemerovo system. It is based on the stimulation of the natural excretion of queens as a result of the isolation of the existing queen. In this case, the productivity of the bee colony does not decrease. The advantages of the technique include:
- the possibility of implementation by beginners;
- simplification of the process of withdrawing the queen bee;
- no need for swarming.
The main task of the beekeeper within the framework of the Kemerovo system is the timely rearing of queens and strengthening the family by the time of honey collection. To increase your chances of getting quality queen bees, you need to do the following:
- carry out work in the first half of June;
- timely reject low-quality open and sealed mother liquors;
- use bee colonies during the period of increasing their strength;
- to lay the queen cells in close proximity to the old uterus.
The highest productivity of the reared queen bees was observed during the period of good honey harvest. Isolation of the uterus from the main family does not inhibit the activity of workers. Leading the queen of the family into the grafting box for the withdrawal of queens promotes the active laying of queen cells. At the initial stages of honey collection, the number of queen cells can reach 50 pieces.
Conclusion
The hatching of queens is a mandatory procedure that allows you to maintain the activity of the bee colony at the proper level. Regardless of the method chosen, it must be carried out in accordance with the beekeeper's calendar. Correct rearing of queens will help the bee family to endure crisis moments without complications and increase productivity.
