What did you do in the Apiary today?

[B+.]

Made some II tips for Plenty of honey. Not sure if you're doing the II or Alicia, Richard?

 

[Hachi]

Made some II tips for Plenty of honey. Not sure if you're doing the II or Alicia, Richard?

What are they?

 

[Zante]

The split hive is doing more then fine. I have spotted some capped brood, so the queen has started laying. The fondant is still on the hive, as they still have some brood frames to draw. One will probably remain undrawn though, as the bees in their eagerness have drawn the other frame much deeper. I'll sort that out either before the winter break or just after the spring start. For now I just want the colony to grow and prepare for winter, I'm not even considering getting a crop off of them.
Had to add a super though. Found that where I'm storing my stuff it gets too hot and the wax softens. Comb can deal with it and keep together, foundation just sags, and I had prepared a super of foundation. The bees won't have trouble heating the extra volume, there's plenty of heat in the environment. I just hope they'll keep it together and if they start drawing out the wax using the fondant that'll be a bonus.

Main colony is doing more than fine, but I had to move about some frames in the supers. The top super was quite heavy, but all uncapped. The middle super was just damaged comb and the bottom super was very heavy with honey, some of it capped.
Problem is I have some mismatched equipment (some bought, some inherited from the owner of the land): the bottom and top super are 9 frames and are the same length as the hive (bought with the hives) while the middle (inherited) super is 10 frames and just a bit wider than the others. That means 2 things: I couldn't fit all the filled frames from the bottom super in the middle one, because the frames would be tighter, and I couldn't just put the middle super under the other two because it won't fit in the metal corners that hives tend to have here. I did what I could by moving as many frames from the bottom super to the middle one and left it at that.

I don't think I will be doing any more manipulations of this sort until I take the honey off, but this winter I will have to do some sorting out of the supers, and make a selection of the better fitting ones to avoid this issue. Also I will have to decide whether to keep the 10 frame supers or rip the castellations out and make them all into 9 frame supers.
I am undecided because I have enough to have 10 frames on one hive and 9 frames on the other. Sure it's better to have a single standard, I just have to decide whether it's worth the bother. After all, if I decide to sort out the supers themselves changing frames between supers won't be an issue anymore, and I can treat supers as single units, rather than what I'm doing now, treating the frames as single units.
Could do with some advice on this...

 

[B+.]

What are they?

It's the piece that is inserted into the queen when doing instrumental insemination. You have to use a device like this (https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=751&pictureid=3936) to stretch a micropipette at a certain point. Then you cut the glass and flame polish the rough edges. There are different length tips depending on what syringe you use.

 

[Hachi]

Wow looks interesting. I'm old school I know RTA and AI as opposed to RTC and II LOL.

 

[B+.]

Wow looks interesting. I'm old school I know RTA and AI as opposed to RTC and II LOL.

II (Instrumental Insemination) is the modern term.
Tip making is more the sort of thing you want to do in the winter when you have nothing much else to do for the bees, but, I happened to post something on FB saying I was making some for a friend in The Netherlands and offered to do some for Plenty of honey too when he asked about them.

 

[TooBee...]

You make them yourself, because you think you can make them better, or cheaper, or you enjoy it? Surely your hand made quality can't be as good as the factory produced version?
And, last question, are you making several because they break a lot, or have a short shelf life?

Sorry in advance for my apparent ignorance. Looking forward to being put right

 

[B+.]

You make them yourself, because you think you can make them better, or cheaper, or you enjoy it? Surely your hand made quality can't be as good as the factory produced version?
And, last question, are you making several because they break a lot, or have a short shelf life?

Sorry in advance for my apparent ignorance. Looking forward to being put right

Not at all. This is a small field within a small field so there's no reason why you should know about it.
I know there are a few people on here who do instrumental insemination, but, compared to the vast majority of beekeepers, it's a small group. I think I am right in saying that most of those buy their tips as and when needed from Prof Schley (who has now retired but his devices can now be bought from Alexander Wachholz in Germany - [email protected]). However, they cost ~£25 for 5 and are very fragile so they break easily.
The tips last until they break...which can be frequently, depending on the amount of use they're put to and the experience of the inseminator. They don't have a "shelf-life".
You have to remember that this is the part that is inserted into the queen, so, any slight imperfection means the tip should be discarded. They can also clog with mucous, so, it's useful to have others that you can use while the blockage is cleared (back-flushing).
Like any skill, there is pleasure in the mastery of it, and, making tips is definitely an acquired skill which needs lots of practice. However, this isn't the only reason I do it. There is certainly the cost, but, when you learn to do something yourself, you aren't restricted by what is commercially available. You can vary the design to suit your own preference or way of working.
I won't bore you with the details but, suffice it to say, that there are different delivery mechanisms (apparatus mounted syringe or the "Harbo" large capacity syringe) and they both use different tips. So, if you make them yourself, you have flexibility. The geometry of the tip itself can also be changed. Some people like short tips (here I am talking about the very front of the canula) and others prefer the tip to be longer and thinner (if you narrow the bore of the tip, you have greater control over how much/how fast the drone sperm is injected).

Dave Cushman talked a lot about the design of tips. You can read more here (http://dave-cushman.net/bee/tipshape.html).
I first learned about it back in the days of IINGRID and BIIG which was....a long time ago! ;-)

 

[colinc]

You make them yourself, because you think you can make them better, or cheaper, or you enjoy it? Surely your hand made quality can't be as good as the factory produced version?

And, last question, are you making several because they break a lot, or have a short shelf life?



Sorry in advance for my apparent ignorance. Looking forward to being put right

How does your home prepped honey taste compared to bulk farmed supermarket stuff? Surely keeping bees and doing it all yourself isn’t worth the effort when the supermarket does it better

Probably takes B+ longed to do than a factory but I am sure his quality control is far superior.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Beefriendly]

). However, they cost ~£25 for 5 and are very fragile so they break easily.
The tips last until they break...
.

It's not rocket science. They are simple needle pullers. Used to use them a lot in my old lab for electrophysiology . Different setting's on puller depending on whether you wanted penetration of a cell (sharp narrow)l or "patch clamp" (round blunt).
If someone is charging £25 for 5 tips they are extracting the micturation, the machine and type of glass tube are the only major costs.

 

[B+.]

It's not rocket science. They are simple needle pullers. Used to use them a lot in my old lab for electrophysiology . Different setting's on puller depending on whether you wanted penetration of a cell (sharp narrow)l or "patch clamp" (round blunt).
If someone is charging £25 for 5 tips they are extracting the micturation, the machine and type of glass tube are the only major costs.

The price I quoted is both current and accurate. That's what people pay.
When you have access to the expensive lab toys (A Sutter patch puller costs in excess of $20,000) it would be easy. However, that's way over the top for insemination work (we're not patching into individual cells - just injecting sperm into the oviduct). So, the puller is different. It doesn't have the programmable settings and lasers. You have to do it all manually.

In any case. don't forget, I was doing someone a favour.

 

[Beefriendly]

You have to do it all manually.

In any case. don't forget, I was doing someone a favour.

Not forgetting, just demystifying. Best electrophyses used to insist on pulling theirs by hand.

 

[Popparand]

Keeping my fingers crossed. Put a crown board with escapes under two supers yesterday and hoping they will be ready for first extraction next Tuesday.

 

[Popparand]

The price I quoted is both current and accurate. That's what people pay.
When you have access to the expensive lab toys (A Sutter patch puller costs in excess of $20,000) it would be easy. However, that's way over the top for insemination work (we're not patching into individual cells - just injecting sperm into the oviduct). So, the puller is different. It doesn't have the programmable settings and lasers. You have to do it all manually.

In any case. don't forget, I was doing someone a favour.

How do you persuade the drones to donate? Do you stretch a queen bee skin over a test tube?

 

[Beefriendly]

(we're not patching into individual cells .

With patching you clamp onto the outside of a cell's membrane not into the cell.
Making needles for stuffing stuff up a queens vagina is easy peasy in comparison. Still think £5 a needle is steep.
Buy some boro-silicate micro pipettes/tubing a bunsen burner and pull your own (needles that is ).

 

[Beefriendly]

How do you persuade the drones to donate? Do you stretch a queen bee skin over a test tube?

Squeeze 'em, they donate freely.

 

[B+.]

Squeeze 'em, they donate freely.

If it was as simple as that, everyone would be doing it.

 

[B+.]

How do you persuade the drones to donate? Do you stretch a queen bee skin over a test tube?

The actual collection is described here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVjLkUVt-Lg). However, as I have said many times, you have to test colonies to determine which ones should be propagated. It isn't enough that they are pure carnica, mellifera, etc. They have to perform well to warrant the effort of controlled breeding.

 

[Beefriendly]

If it was as simple as that, everyone would be doing it.

Everybody can squeeze a drone....should they wish....
What happens when you squeeze a mature drone then B+?

In my experience their endophallus shoots out and they ejaculate. It's very simple. What isn't quite as simple is recovering their sperm without mucus etc into micro-syringe.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Went along to the association Apiary to help this year's beginners with the final formal practical session of the course. The session went smoothly as the intake had all paid attention during the Winter theory course and have gained a lot from the hands on manipulation of their colonies. Gratifying to see. They will continue to visit their hives but not under constant tutelage. If help is needed they will ask. Next actual formal session will be varroa control in August using Apiguard or Apilife Var.
Only one problem colony which had been a split and the virgin queen failed to return. A frame of eggs and larvae donated in the hope of producing a new queen from their efforts albeit not the best timing.

En route home I called in to see what progress the little colony had made in Bishopwood. Doubled in size since last week it was a very small swarm that had moved into an abandoned, wax moth ravaged hive. I wasn't sure if it would survive but it's getting stronger all the time and making stores like a good un. Work in progress.