Content
- 1 How to raise queen bees
- 2 Hatching calendar
- 3 Artificial insemination of queens
- 4 Simple ways to remove queen bees without transferring larvae
- 5 Hatching of queen bees with transfer of larvae
- 6 Nicot system for breeding queens
- 7 Hatching queens using the Kashkovsky method
- 8 Hatching of queens in micronuclei
- 9 How to breed queen bees using the Kemerovo system
- 10 Conclusion
Every beekeeper knows that independent breeding of queens must be carried out in accordance with the calendar. This will help to prepare a replacement for the old uterus in a timely manner in unforeseen situations. There are a number of rules that are important to follow during this process.
How to raise queen bees
In every bee family, the reproductive functions are performed by the queen. Her duties include mating with drones and laying eggs. The lifespan of a queen bee under certain conditions can reach 8 years. But its reproductive abilities decrease 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 breed queen bees naturally and artificially. Most often, artificial swarming is stimulated or bees are persuaded to lay fistulous queen cells. The Kashkovsky method is also often used and insulators are used.
If the beekeeper does not pay enough attention to breeding swarming queens, fistula queens are hatched naturally. They are inferior in quality to artificially raised queen bees.
Hatching calendar
Before thinking about breeding a new queen, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the queen bee hatching calendar. It is also necessary to take care of the availability of a rich bribe. Lack of food and bad weather conditions can trigger the hatching of unproductive queens. The best option is to carry out work on removing queen bees from late spring to early summer. In the middle zone, it is recommended to start breeding immediately after the first honey plants bloom.
Hatching of queens in September is a rare occurrence. Bees carry it out independently if the old queen is sick. In such families, the queen manages to fly around in time and prepare for the winter. In spring, the bee family does not have any problems.
How many days does it take for the uterus to emerge from the queen cell?
Every experienced beekeeper should become familiar with the development of the queen bee day by day. This will allow for a more in-depth understanding of the process of breeding new queens of the bee family. The queen bee is hatched in several stages. If drones hatch from unfertilized eggs, then the queen hatches from fertilized eggs.The egg develops into a larva, which is fed by workers with royal jelly throughout its life cycle. The fistulous queen can eat food intended for ordinary bees.
As the bee larva grows, it begins to form a queen cell. They carry out the process of sealing it on the 7th day. On the 9th day after the queen cell is sealed, the new queen gnaws through its shell. The first days after hatching the queen is still too weak. During this period, she is engaged in eliminating competitors. After 4-5 days it begins to fly around.
How many days does the queen begin to sow after leaving the queen cell?
2 days after the flight, the process of mating with drones begins. After another 3 days, the first sowing is carried out. About 10 days pass from the moment of emergence from the queen cell. Experts recommend not to disturb the bee family during the reproductive period. Any interference in the life of bees can scare away the queen bee. Inspection should only be carried out if absolutely necessary. It is advisable to carry it out in the morning, without using irritating factors.
Artificial insemination of queens
Rearing queen bees artificially is considered more productive. But it takes a lot of effort and time. It must be taken into account that the fertile individual is hatched from 12-hour large larvae. With good honey collection, the quality of the uterus will be better. The most common methods of artificial insemination include:
- activation of the isolator;
- application of the Nicot system;
- Cebro technique;
- emergency method.
Instrumental insemination of queen bees is considered the most labor-intensive.It is used when it is necessary to reproduce offspring in barren queens. The procedure is carried out in laboratory conditions. First, seminal fluid is collected from the drone. Stimulation of muscle contractions is carried out by pressing on the front wall of the drone's abdomen. The next stage is that the queen of the family is released for a flight, during which she cleanses the intestines of feces. To do this, it is enough to place the insect on a previously closed window frame. Then, with the help of special devices, insemination of barren queens is carried out with the collected material.
Simple ways to remove queen bees without transferring larvae
Removal of queens in beekeeping is often carried out in the simplest way, which does not involve the transfer of larvae. It consists of 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 arrangement of the queen cells 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 replanting it, the honeycomb containing the eggs should be removed from the bee nest.
Zander method
The Zander method is considered one of the simplest in mother breeding. Removal of queens is carried out by replanting mature queen cells into nucs or bee colonies. The first thing you need to do is prepare narrow strips of honeycomb with larvae. The next step is to divide the strips into parts, each of which will contain the rudiment of the future bee. Using melted wax, the resulting pieces are attached to wooden blocks. They are subsequently placed on a grafting frame.
Alley method
As a result of using Alley’s technique, it is possible to rebuild queen cells at a distance far from each other. Honeycombs with young larvae are divided into strips using a hot knife. In places with large concentrations of brood, more than half of the cells are cut off. At the next stage, the strip is unfolded in such a way that the cut part is located on top. In this position, the cells are thinned out (one is left, the next two are crushed). To make bees more willing to build queen cells, the cells are expanded with special sticks, avoiding touching 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 pins.
Hatching of queen bees with transfer of larvae
The system of breeding queens by transferring larvae was first used in 1860 by Gusev. The transfer was carried out using bone sticks with rounded ends made of wax, resembling bowls in appearance. Bee individuals were carried in the life cycle by eggs. The wax bowls were attached to a frame and then transferred to a new family. This method has become widespread on large beekeeping farms and farms.
How to make bowls for hatching queens
To make your own bowls, you will need wooden templates. They are sticks up to 12 cm long. Their ends have a rounded shape. After preparing the templates, you need to melt the white wax in a water bath. The first time the template is lowered into a container with wax to a depth of 7 mm.Each subsequent 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. They can be purchased at a specialty store.
Preparing a bowl for grafting
Before vaccinating the larvae, it is necessary to complete preparatory steps. Initially, the bowls are placed in a queenless colony. This process is carried out directly on the day of the collection of the queen of the family, in the evening hours. For 8 hours, the bees will polish the bowls, preparing them for transferring the larvae. During this period, it is important to provide them with royal jelly. In the future, this will simplify the transfer process by securing it to the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer of larvae
Transferring the larvae into a homemade bowl is called grafting by beekeepers. It is considered quite painstaking because it requires good vision and dexterity. The larvae are transferred using a special spatula, which is easy to find in any beekeeping store. As a last resort, you can build it yourself using aluminum wire. Its diameter should not exceed 2 mm. One end is carefully sanded, forming something like a spatula out of it.
When transferring, take into account the temperature and humidity in the room. The optimal humidity level is 70%. The air temperature should vary from 20 to 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 honeycombs are trimmed.Using a spatula, each brood representative is carefully placed in a bowl. It is important to place the tool under the back of the larva, pressing it to the bottom of the cell. This will avoid damage.
Checking the larvae
Regardless of the replanting method, survival testing is carried out after 2 days. If there was no open brood in the bee colony, the larvae should be accepted. The success of the intake is indicated by the presence of a sufficient amount of food and active adjustment of the bowls.
Reception of less than 70% of the total indicates the cultivation of a family of fistulous queen cells. In such a situation, it is necessary to detect and dispose of fistulous queen cells. If all steps are performed correctly, the bee family will accept more than 90% of the larvae.
Nicot system for breeding queens
Beginners in beekeeping prefer to use the Nicot system for breeding queens. The instructions are easy to understand even for a person who is far from caring for a bee hive. The advantages of the system include:
- rapid transfer of larvae without making physical contact with them, which reduces the risk of damage;
- uninterrupted egg laying;
- timely hatching of young queens.
The Nicot system includes 110 cells. It is based on cells for breeding queens. In addition to them there are bowl holders. The artificial honeycomb cassettes are covered with a separating grid. The bowls on the back side are closed using plates.
The kit is designed for quick and high-quality hatching of queens. It eliminates the need to use additional tools to transport the larvae.The Nicot system can be made independently using available materials. A standard kit helps to breed up to 30 queens, which is quite enough for the average apiary.
Hatching queens using the Kashkovsky method
Removal of queens using the Kashkovsky method is carried out in several stages. The procedure is performed at the very beginning of the honey collection. Initially, a layer is made, where the foundation, sealed brood, beebread, worker bees and the queen of the family are transferred. The cuttings are removed to a warm place for a month. After detecting fistulous queen cells, the beekeeper must sort out the larvae, leaving the largest and healthiest ones. After some time, the old queen is removed from the hive and a new one is placed in her place.
Hatching of queens in micronuclei
With the help of micronuclei, elite queens are often hatched. In beekeeping, a micronucleus is a structure in which the process of mating of barren queens with drones takes place. Externally, it is a miniature of an ordinary hive. The use of micronuclei helps solve the following problems:
- possibility of storing fertile queen bees;
- the process of flying around the young queen is carried out faster than usual;
- spare queens can overwinter in myronucles.
The advantages of using the design also include the opportunity to save feed. Beginning beekeepers can move rejected queens into miniature houses and train their skills on them.
How to breed queen bees using the Kemerovo system
During the honey harvest period, it is often practiced to remove fistulous uteruses using the Kemerovo system.It is based on stimulation of the natural breeding of queens as a result of isolation of the existing queen. In this case, the productivity of the bee colony does not decrease. The advantages of the technique include:
- possibility of implementation by beginners;
- simplifying the queen bee hatching process;
- no need for swarming.
The main task of the beekeeper within the framework of the application of the Kemerovo system is the timely removal of queens and strengthening of the colony 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;
- promptly reject low-quality open and sealed queen cells;
- use bee families during the period of increasing their strength;
- lay the queen cells in close proximity to the old uterus.
The highest productivity of reared queen bees was observed during the period of good honey harvest. Isolation of the queen from the main family does not have a depressing effect on the activity of working individuals. Taking the queen of the family into the grafting box for hatching the 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
Removal of queens is a mandatory procedure that allows maintaining the activity of the bee colony at the proper level. Regardless of the chosen method, it must be carried out in accordance with the beekeeper’s calendar. Proper breeding of queens will help the bee family to endure crisis moments without complications and increase productivity.
