EARLY‑ SPRING BUILD‑ UP OF HONEYBEE COLONIES USING INSTRUMENTAL INSEMINATION OF QUEEN BEES

Abstract

From 2022 to 2024, the Krasnopolyanskaya Experimental Beekeeping Station conducted research on the use of instrumental insemination of queen bees for early spring
colony expansion. The study focused on gray mountain Caucasian honeybees. For the experiment, a control and two experimental groups were formed using the analog colony principle.
Queen bees in the control group were inseminated by natural mating, those in the first experimental group were inseminated with manually collected sperm, and those in the second experimental group were inseminated with sperm obtained using a developed electroejaculator.
A single dose of sperm collected from 8-10 drones was used for insemination. Sperm vitality
was measured using the method of Ya. S. Dubinchik. Egg production of queen bees was studied using queen excluder frames. Queen bee hatching was accomplished by a single transfer
of larvae into wax queen cell cups. The study found that using an electroejaculator had no
negative impact on ejaculate quality, while the time required for the procedure was reduced
by 78,8% compared to manual methods. The optimal drone age for producing high-quality
electroejaculate was also experimentally established. Using a comparison and analysis method, the best method for introducing instrumentally inseminated queen bees into colonies was
identified. A two-year egg production assessment revealed the highest egg production in
queen bees inseminated using an electroejaculator. This trend was also confirmed by the results of sealed brood rearing and monitoring of honey and wax production. Summarizing the
obtained data, it can be concluded that using instrumental insemination for early spring colony buildup ensures the production of strong colonies with desired economically useful qualities within the specified timeframe, which is essential for the pollination function of bees in
entomophilous crops.