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“Wiedza to potęga, stwierdził w 1597r. sir Francis Bacon, jednak pomiędzy ilością dostępnych informacji a umiejętnością wydobywania z nich sensu może istnieć zależność odwrotna.”   

 Tony Schwartz

How to store drones for insemination ?

In the article “How to rear drones with high reproductive value”, we described the factors determining the biological value of male bees. The next challenging task is to prepare mature drones for the procedure in good condition and with known origin. Various methods for storing drones can be found in the literature, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The most important aspect is ensuring that the drones intended for insemination come from the selected queen. Their vitality and the resulting efficiency in everting the mating organ are secondary but greatly facilitate the smooth execution of the procedure.

Marking drones

During queen bee insemination courses, we recommend marking drones immediately after they emerge and releasing them freely so they can move and fly from the hive. Drones stored this way are in good physical condition and easily evert their mating organ. They regularly defecate, significantly reducing the risk of fecal retention and defecation during semen collection. Marking drones immediately after birth ensures their origin and provides information about their age.

Drone Marking Method Step by Step:

  1. Introduce drone comb to the reproductive queen from whom you wish to obtain genetic material.

  2. After the queen lays eggs (approximately 3 days), transfer the comb with eggs to the rearing colony. Place the material in the upper hive body above a queen excluder to prevent the rearing colony’s queen from laying additional drone eggs.

  3. A few days before the first drones emerge, place the comb with drone brood into a two-frame isolator. Add a second frame containing food or pollen.

  4. Mark drones immediately after they are born using a marker pen and release them into the upper hive body (outside the isolator). Marking drones takes about 2–3 days. It’s best to mark young, freshly emerged drones as they are not yet inclined to fly.

  5. After all drones have emerged, remove the isolator and queen excluder or sweep the drones into the lower hive body.
Location of drone rearing colonies

Drones released for free flights will migrate to other colonies. Within days of marking, they will appear throughout the apiary. It is recommended to position drone-rearing colonies in a different location and orient their entrances in a direction different from other colonies. While this won’t completely eliminate drone migration, it will significantly reduce it. When releasing drones for free flights, remember that some will be lost due to drifting and successful mating flights. Using this method requires preparing significantly more drones than needed for insemination.

Selecting drones for the procedure

Drones reach sexual maturity at about 14 days. Between days 14 and 21, the quality of their semen is at its peak. During this time, they should be used for artificial insemination. Drones for insemination should be selected in the morning or evening, outside their active flying hours. In Polish climatic conditions, they usually gather on the outermost combs of the hive around 8:00 a.m. Later in the day, they move toward the hive floor and walls, making collection more difficult.

When preparing to collect drones, plan the required quantity carefully. Considering errors in everting the mating organ, semen loss due to drone abdominal contact, or other unforeseen circumstances, you should prepare:

  • Approximately 10 drones for an 8-microliter dose.
  • Approximately 5 drones for a 4-microliter dose.

Drones collected in the morning and stored properly will remain in good condition throughout the day. They can be placed in small cages with queen excluder walls (about 10 cm x 5 cm) and left in the hive, taking out one cage at a time for the procedure. In the laboratory, place the cage with drones on a honey-soaked napkin so they can feed themselves.

Transport of drones

If drones need to be transported elsewhere, they require the care of worker bees. Use a special drone transport box with two compartments separated by a mesh. One compartment contains the drones, and the other houses bees with access to food in the form of candy. Ensuring proper ventilation is also crucial.

When collecting and storing drones for insemination procedures, it is essential to protect them from overheating. The optimal storage temperature is 30–35°C. Above 35°C, sperm viability decreases significantly.



Kurs inseminacji matek pszczelich Insemination course of queen bee

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