A Drone Question

[robirot]

Try this link:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3vPV_WeQxV8#searching

Did you notice the needle is moved forward after insertion, this is to by pass the value fold or does not work.

Blessings

There are two ways of inseminating Queens. This is the Schley style tool with stinger hook. For this you need to move the needle to bypass the valvefold.
If pliers are used to grab the sting, it can be manipulated so that you can go straight in.



I also don' cut drones, it costs the colonies energy and drones are part of a hive. A hive with drones is a lot calmer.

But the main reason is, that that it is just to moch work.


If you cut drones for varoa removal, you need to cut only frames that get used a second time now. In frames freshly drawn, a lot less (i mean was about 10 times) mites are found. Some scents of old brood attract the mite and tell them, this is a brood cell.

[blackforest beekeeper]

Try this link:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3vPV_WeQxV8#searching

Did you notice the needle is moved forward after insertion, this is to by pass the value fold or does not work.

Blessings

There are two ways of inseminating Queens. This is the Schley style tool with stinger hook. For this you need to move the needle to bypass the valvefold.
If pliers are used to grab the sting, it can be manipulated so that you can go straight in.



I also don' cut drones, it costs the colonies energy and drones are part of a hive. A hive with drones is a lot calmer.

But the main reason is, that that it is just to moch work.


If you cut drones for varoa removal, you need to cut only frames that get used a second time now. In frames freshly drawn, a lot less (i mean was about 10 times) mites are found. Some scents of old brood attract the mite and tell them, this is a brood cell.

sounds reasonalbe. about the used drone comb.

[van from Arkansas]

I use a loc device with forceps, pliers.

[BeeMaster2]

Stinger,
Are the forceps hand held? I do not see them in the picture.
I wish you could do a presentation on showing us how you do this at BeeFest 2019.
Jim

[TheHoneyPump]

Question on throughout. How many II queens can be done in day?  A full day, a 6am-6pm work day. Not a multiplied per hour rate. When all steps in the process are completed start to finish in a day, how many queens can be done. Things like setup, retrieval, II itself, cleanup, storage, record keeping etc are all included in a work day. 

Also what is the failure rate? There must be losses.  What are the factors of the losses? What is the percentage losses?

[robirot]

Question on throughout. How many II queens can be done in day?  A full day, a 6am-6pm work day.

Hoe many ppl? Harvesting drones yourself?

Isemination teams do 400+ Queens a day.
2 or 3 ppl collecting sperm, 1 person inseminating, 1-2 ppl doing all the work besides that (Getting drones, catching and releasing queens, marking them).

If you are doing all alone 20 Queens are good. If you are doing it alone the bottleneck is seither collecting of semen or all the other stuff that has to be observed.
If you do it alone, best is to do one evening of preparation, then one day of collecting semen and gassing all queens for the first time. The next morning inseminating all queens and cleanup.
If you go this way, the Harbo syringe comes helpes a lot.

[van from Arkansas]

Stinger,
Are the forceps hand held? I do not see them in the picture.
I wish you could do a presentation on showing us how you do this at BeeFest 2019.
Jim

Jim, the arm on the right has a hooked end, those are forceps.  I?ll take a close up for you and post.

[van from Arkansas]

Forceps.  I open and extended the forceps to demonstrate, for clarity.  They are tiny:  each hook on the forcep is as thin as paper.
Blessings

[van from Arkansas]

Another pic.

[van from Arkansas]

My carbon dioxide set up, mounted to a ring stand, nothing fancy, inexpensive aquarium co2 device with bubbler so I can count one bubble per second to put the queen to sleep.  The carbon dioxide is supplied by the 8 gram cartridges made for pellet guns or aquariums.  A simple inexpensive device that works great.  All available on Amazon.

A typical carbon dioxide device cost hundreds: Victor gage and co2 tank.  The above device is but a fraction of the cost.
Blessings . 

[Ben Framed]

@ TheHoneyPump
I really like the queen excluder cage that Mike uses for encasing the whole green drone comb-frame. I didn't know that such a thing exist! Awesome devise!

@ Stinger13
Very nice set up Mr Van. You are set to go.  Good idea on the aquarium co2 cartages for the set up.

@ robirot Thanks for the detailed explanation of how many queens can be handled in a time period as ask by THP. Good Job!

@ sawdstmakr
You ask Mr Van "Are the forceps hand held? I do not see them in the picture.''
   Good question and thanks Mr Van for the good answer and picture that followed.

Also form Jim . '' That is very interesting Stinger.
I thought they had to a special maneuver to insert the seaman. It did not seem like they did anything special.''
   Good video Mr Van!

@ blackforest beekeeper
You said,  ''There are two ways of inseminating Queens. This is the Schley style tool with stinger hook. For this you need to move the needle to bypass the valvefold.
If pliers are used to grab the sting, it can be manipulated so that you can go straight in.''  Thanks for adding this information.

You all are collectively adding to my education, on this subject and I am sure many others as well both now and in the future who read this topic. Thanks to each of you!

Phillip Hall
                             

 

[blackforest beekeeper]

I never contributed to insemination as I have never done this.

[Ben Framed]

I never contributed to insemination as I have never done this.

You said,  ''There are two ways of inseminating Queens. This is the Schley style tool with stinger hook. For this you need to move the needle to bypass the valvefold.
If pliers are used to grab the sting, it can be manipulated so that you can go straight in.''  Thanks for adding this information.

Yet you turn around and say, " I have never contributed to insemination as I have never done this" Hum, maybe from now on, prehaps, I should consider everything you say with a grain of salt? Hum 😁

[BeeMaster2]

I never contributed to insemination as I have never done this.

You said,  ''There are two ways of inseminating Queens. This is the Schley style tool with stinger hook. For this you need to move the needle to bypass the valvefold.
If pliers are used to grab the sting, it can be manipulated so that you can go straight in.''  Thanks for adding this information.

Yet you turn around and say, " I have never contributed to insemination as I have never done this" Hum, maybe from now on, prehaps, I should consider everything you say with a grain of salt? Hum 😁

Phillip,
BFB only quoted Robirot about that and said that it sounded reasonable. He did not say it.
See post 41.
Jim

[robirot]

I never contributed to insemination as I have never done this.

You said,  ''There are two ways of inseminating Queens. This is the Schley style tool with stinger hook. For this you need to move the needle to bypass the valvefold.
If pliers are used to grab the sting, it can be manipulated so that you can go straight in.''  Thanks for adding this information.

Yet you turn around and say, " I have never contributed to insemination as I have never done this" Hum, maybe from now on, prehaps, I should consider everything you say with a grain of salt? Hum

I said that about the needle and valvefold, not blackforrestbeekeeper.

[Ben Framed]

Whoops, My mistake and my apology Blackforest. 😁 Thanks Jim and robirot for clearing that up !!
But Blackforest you do contribute with your comments and questions. Thanks for those just as well. 
Phillip Hall

[blackforest beekeeper]

sorry. I was un-clear.
I thought, the idea that mites would prefer used drone-comb to freshly built one, sounds reasonable to me.
I don`t have any opinions or knowledge about insemination.

[Ben Framed]

sorry. I was un-clear.
I thought, the idea that mites would prefer used drone-comb to freshly built one, sounds reasonable to me.
I don`t have any opinions or knowledge about insemination.

Thanks for your kindness and graciousness  Blackforest.  It was my stupidly. that was the problem.
Phillip Hall   "Ben Framed" Or may I add, this time Framed myself !! 😁

[van from Arkansas]

Question on throughout. How many II queens can be done in day?  A full day, a 6am-6pm work day. Not a multiplied per hour rate. When all steps in the process are completed start to finish in a day, how many queens can be done. Things like setup, retrieval, II itself, cleanup, storage, record keeping etc are all included in a work day. 

Also what is the failure rate? There must be losses.  What are the factors of the losses? What is the percentage losses?

I texted an expert, Sue Colby and reply was: 50 queens a day is a reasonable rate for II, all things optimized.  The biggest time consuming factor is collection condition of drones and obtaining the semon.  The focus is on care, not quantity, so all things considered 50 queens a day.

Failure rate depends on the skill level of the individual.

[Ben Framed]

Mr Van, I am confused of who is saying what😊😁. Are you saying that you use  forceps to grab hold of the stinger in order to move it out-of-the-way? If so how do you know how tightly to grab the stinger with the  forceps in order to get the job done and without damaging the stinger itself?
Thanks , Phillip