Articles, reflections and chronicle emerging from our field experience.
Chonicle of the apiary
Hereafter, the chronicle starts… Hoping it can be useful if you are embarking or following this wonderful path.Download Pdf WHY IS IT MORE SUITABLE TO USE VIRGIN QUEEN BEES RATHER THAN NON-TESTED FERTILE QUEENS OR QUEEN CELLS? In apiculture, replacing Queen bees at the end of their reproductive life and creating artificial swarms have been successful techniques for many years. This methodology employs the acquire and introduction of a fertile queen in the hive, replacing the no more productive queen at the end of the career. The same type of Queen bees are employed to create artificial swarms. An alternative method, which leads to the same goal, is to introduce Queens cells ready to emerge, produced by specialized bee-keepers. Both methodologies are employed and tested internationally since long time. However, according to our own experience, both techniques suffer from limitations, especially considering the percentage of fecundity of the just-brought Queen bee.READ MORE... Download pdf HOW TO MAKE A EFFECTIVE NUCLEUS HIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRADITIONAL METHOD TO CREATE ARTIFICIAL SWARMS FROM VIRGIN QUEENS TOOLS: 1) a swarm box; 2) a frame full of provisions; 3) two frames with bees, drones, brood and few provisions; 4) two fames with foundation (wax layers); 5) a roll of parcel tape; 6) a virgin queen; 7) a plastic queen- cell cup (similar to a perforated thimble); 8) a pocket feeder *; 9) a roll of 2cm wide paper tape; 10) a pin; 11) dense candy, obtained by mixing impalpable sugar and fructose syrup. * Pocket Feeder: when a pocket feeder is used to distribute liquid food, it must be equipped with a plastic net of the same size as the feeder, which stays bathed in the syrup and will act as a "climbing ladder" for the bees. Method: Collect all the material, bring it close to a beehive from which you can take bees and frames with brood...SEGUE Scarica in pdf APPLICATION OF THE STRACCI METHOD FOR THE REALIZATION OF ARTIFICIAL SWARMS WITH VIRGIN QUEEN BEES It is advisable to follow the method by the book, as it results of a constant experimentation and continuous monitoring in the field. This patient work started in the apiary season 1998. Tools: 1) A swarm box; 2) a frame with or without provisions, but absolutely without brood; 3) two frames with half foundation each; 4) a pocket feeder full of candy; 5) a roll of parcel tape; 6) a bucket; 7) a colony of young bees; 8) a virgin queen; 9) a cup with a little sugar syrup or liquid honey; 10) a large empty cup: Method: Collect all the material, bring it close to a beehive from which you can pick young bees. Insert the frame with the provisions in the first position, that is, the one closest to one of the two side walls of the swarm box. in the second position insert a frame with half foundation...SEGUE Dowload pdf SPEAKING OF HONEY BEE GENETICS A selection that narrows excessively the genetic variability is a blind road and leads to excessive biological specialization, which results in an inability to adapt to the environmental and parasitological conditions that vary over time, as well as a weakening of the species vigor The mating ritual of bees, which takes place during their flight, and in which queens and drones converge, indicates that READ MORE...
