Replacement of queens in bee colonies is an important moment in beekeeping. It is carried out with a certain frequency and affects many factors. The process must be properly organized. For replacement, fetal and infertile uterus are used. There are many ways to transplant them, each has certain features.
The frequency of replacement of queens in bee colonies
The frequency of uterine replacement is focused on the biological characteristics of bees. The climate, the quality of the bribe, the methods used in the apiary are of importance.
The uterus can live up to 5-6 years. Prior to this period, varietal females are left when they want to get the maximum number of queens from them. In other cases, the uterus is kept for 2 years, since they lay fewer eggs in the third year, and an increasing part of them is a drone brood.
Wear of the uterus depends on the intensity of the laying of eggs. With a rich bribe or adverse weather conditions, pickers die in large numbers, so it is necessary to restore the family size.
The age of the uterus affects how she and the family endure the winter. Honey production is also associated with its age - in the third year, productivity decreases by about 25%.
General rules for replacing the uterus
One of the important rules for replacing the uterus is the choice of its term. For this, different parameters can be taken into account:
- the optimal term for raising a full uterus;
- time for the best reception of the uterus by bees;
- a period when it is easier to find an old uterus for replacement;
- features of honey collection;
- methods used in the apiary.
It is optimal to raise the uterus with swarm mood or moderate honey collection. In such periods, the new uterus will be well received.
There are several periods that are unfavorable for replanting the uterus:
- ending intense family growth;
- peak bee colony strength;
- weak bribe;
- no honey collection in nature.
When replacing a bee, it is important to consider the following points:
- Bees better perceive the uterus of the same breed. Other breeds are recommended to be planted under good weather conditions and a steady bribe.
- After replacing the uterus, peak egg laying will begin in 1.5 weeks if enough cells are prepared.
- With any method of replacing the bee family, you need to feed in advance (sugar syrup, full). This is done to simulate a good bribe. In such conditions, the new bee is better perceived by other bees.
When used as a replacement for an infertile individual, it is important to consider the following points:
- the adoption of an infertile bee will not occur if there is an open brood;
- bees are better for replacing bees immediately after hatching - if 5-6 days or more pass, the period will become unfavorable;
- the more young insects in the bee colony, the faster and better the infertile individual will be accepted.
You can also read more about the bee in the article: features of the bee, its role in the hive, species.
Ways to replace fetal queens in the hives
There are several methods to replace a bee. Landing, depending on its features, is direct or indirect.
Uterus replanting on honeycombs
This technique is direct, a replacement bee is taken as a replacement. The process is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- The honeycomb with the uterus-replacement should be brought to the hive.
- Disassemble the nest to remove the old bee.
- Immediately put the frame with the replacement individual in the nest, close the hive.
- The family should be at rest for 3 days.
When using this method, the landing will be more successful, the stronger the similarity of the physiological characteristics of the old uterus and its replacement.
How the uterus is replaced with honeycombs with queen cells, the beekeeper shows in the video below:
Gangway beekeeping
This method is direct, the bee should be fertile. Proceed according to the following algorithm:
- Remove the uterus 2-3 hours before replacement.
- In the evening, upon termination of flight, remove 2-3 frames with bees and shake them on the gangway near the summer.
- The resulting bunch of bees place the uterus.
- The uterus enters the hive along with other insects and enters the family fully.
- To increase the likelihood of receiving the bees, the shaken bees are slightly treated with thick cold smoke, the same thing must be done with the nest.
Cell placement
This technique is indirect. A fetal bee is taken. Further replacement is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- 2-3 hours before replacement, remove the old uterus.
- Study the brood in advance, get rid of fistulous queen cells so that the bees well accept the new uterus. All these manipulations are recommended in the evening.
- Put a new uterus in a cell and supply it to Candy.
- In the evening, insert a cell with a uterus-replacement into one of the streets of the hive. The cell should be in the center of the nest, on the sides of the honeycomb, where the brood is open. Here, the temperature regime is optimal for the bee, and young people are more likely to meet a replacement.
It is recommended to remove not one bee, but 5 more working bees in the box - they will provide its service.
- Release the bee in two days in the evening, if the bees are friendly to the bee (at the same time they are calm, and try to feed the queen with their proboscis). For this, the lower valve of the cell is opened. They seal it with wax and make an awl with a small hole to make the bees easier to work when they gnaw on the wax to release the uterus.
It is advisable not to use smoke during the inspection and not to keep the hive open for a long time, and you should strive to remove the canvas from a smaller number of frames!
- After the release of the uterus, do not inspect the hive for 3 days!
During the release of the bee, there is a risk of aggression by the bees, they will begin to pursue it. Then for another 2 days, enclose it in a cell, then releasing it through the inlet.
If the period is unfavorable for replacement, then the bee colony should be left without a uterus for 3-4 days. During this period, give them nutrition in the form of sugar syrup. Planting and releasing the bees according to the standard algorithm, but first get rid of fistulous queen cells.
If the period is favorable, then replace the replaced bee in a cell and do not remove from the bee colony for another day. After a day, eliminate it by planting a replacement in the box. It can be released on a honeycomb with bees in another day.
If the aggressive mood of the bees does not stop, inspection of the nest is required. The problem can be caused by fistulous queen cells or a young infertile bee-breeder bred by the family for a “quiet” shift. In this case, proceed as follows:
- Get rid of queen cells.
- If an infertile uterus is found, then it is necessary to assess its size and development - if everything is normal, then you can leave it, and remove the replacement.
- If the uterus in the nest is bad, then it is destroyed, the cage with the uterus is left for another day to replace.
- On the evening of the second day, an inspection is needed.
- Put the new bee in a cage, leave it in the nest and release it in the evening of the next day after checking the attitude of the bees to it.
- After eliminating the cell, the bee family needs a three-day rest.
An effective way to replace the uterus is shared by an experienced beekeeper in the video below:
Replanting a uterus enclosed under a large cap
The method is indirect. Further, the algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Remove the replaced individual.
- Wait 3 hours. Plant the replacement by covering it with a cap on the central cell along with several dozen young worker bees from this family. The cap is slightly pressed into the honeycomb but so that the bees can move freely.
The cap should cover both empty cells and with honey.
- Oviposition begins on the 2-3rd day - you should get rid of fistulous queen cells, remove the cap.
- The freed uterus must be observed - if other bees aggression, isolate it for another two days.
If the replacement period is unfavorable, the bees should provide sugar syrup. Place the replaced bee under the cap on a dark honeycomb, where the rest of the insects are difficult to reach. Plant a replacement bee on the fifth day after examining the honeycombs and tearing the fistulous queen cells.
You can clearly see how the implantation of the fetal uterus under the cap can be done in the video below:
Uterus replanting into a fungus family (correction)
If the family is uterine-free, and tinder bees lay their eggs, so they don’t take the uterus, then you need to try to fix the situation. Bees from a weak family are simply shaken out of their hive, giving them the opportunity to fly into others. But if the family is strong, then:
- In the afternoon, during the summer, take a fetal individual from another medium-strong family.
- Send it in a cage to a nest with hives, adding 2 frames of a printed brood from the family from which the uterus was taken.
- Swap the hive of hives with a normal hive. At the same time, flying individuals will also change, which will destroy the bee-funders, since the latter will not leave their nest when rearranging the hive.
- The next day, in the evening, the uterus is released from the cell. The second family, which was decontaminated, is given a spare uterus, after (3 hours) getting rid of fistulous queen cells.
Uterine replacement through layering
This technique is direct. A replacement bee is taken as a replacement. Actions should be as follows:
- Remove the replaced individual, isolate the nest with the diaphragm, moving it to the side.
- In the evening, when the flight stops, arrange for the transfer of the uterus and bees to the free area in the hive from the nucleus.
- The next day the partition is removed, smoke can be used only as a last resort.
- Wait 2-3 days, inspect the family.
Uterus landing by this technique can be carried out according to another algorithm:
- Remove the old individual.
- After 2 hours, add an additional building, placing newspaper overlap under it.
- Transfer the nucleus with the replacement and the bees to the new part of the hive, make insulation from above.
- Insects will make holes in the paper overlap, their integration and acceptance of the uterus will gradually begin.
- Wait 2-3 days, check the family, clean the nest.
How the transplantation of the fetal uterus through the layers takes place, is shown in the video below:
Replanting and layering in a new place
This is a direct landing of the fetal uterus. You need to act like this:
- In the evening, when the flight ends, let out several puffs of smoke into the layers without a uterus.
- Frames are sprayed with sugar syrup.
- Transfer the bee on the frame from the nucleus to the hive.
- Close the hive.
Frame insulator for replanting
The technique is indirect, use the fetal uterus. The algorithm is as follows:
- Remove replaced individual.
- Wait 2 hours, remove the honeycomb, where there is brood at the exit, honey bee bread and free cells.
- Remove all insects, start a new bee.
- Put the honeycomb in the insulator, restricting the access of bees to it - lay the passages with the help of rails.
- To place the insulator, choose the middle of the nest so that there is an open brood around.
- On the sixth day, control, getting rid of fistulous queen cells;
- Remove the honeycomb with the bee and young animals from the insulator and place it in the nest - it should be surrounded by brood.
Uterine implantation using an isolator is shown in the video below:
Methods for replanting infertile queens
Replacing an old uterus with a young infertile is not an easy process. Success depends on many factors: the time of replanting, weather conditions, the presence of a bribe, the age of the bee, etc. But still, there are often cases when you need to replant the purchased infertile uterus.
Infertile uterine transplantation through temporary removal of old bees
With this technique, the procedure is as follows:
- In the evening, remove the replaced individual from hive No. 1.
- The next day, wait for a strong flight, and set hive No. 1 per meter to the side, and in its place set the hive-reserve of the same shape and color.
- Transfer the frames with open brood and eggs from hive No. 1 to the hive-reserve, but the bees should be left by shaking them back to hive No. 1.
Printed brood without eggs and larvae may be left in hive No. 1.
- The flight representatives of the family will return to their former place in the hive-reserve.
- In the bezmatochny hive number 1 will remain only non-flying individuals. In the evening they need to plant a new bee in a cage, pre-seasoning it with food.
- Release the bee in the standard manner described above.
- Families are united after fertilization of the uterus and the beginning of oviposition.
Cell infertility
In this case, two options are possible. The algorithm of the first:
- Remove the old uterus.
- On the third day, when there will be no open brood, towards the evening to tear down the laid queen cells.
- In the evening, place the uterus in the cell in the nest.
You can act on a different algorithm. In this case, the replacement is done until the eggs have become larvae. When there are no eggs from the old uterus, the queen cells must be plucked. The uterus does not need to be released - the bees themselves will do this, it is enough to properly prepare the cell.
Replacement of queens in bee colonies is an important process in the apiary. It is necessary to regularly change the uterus, since many points depend on their age. Replacement can be done in different ways. Each of them implies a certain algorithm. Proper organization of the process allows for quick adaptation and better reception of a new uterus by bees.