Breeding bees by layering

For a number of reasons, the natural division of bee colonies is not always acceptable for a beekeeper.

It is preferable to fully control this process and, if necessary, arrange artificial swarming.

Let's try to figure out how to do it.

Description

It is possible to form new bee families from full-fledged families, as well as with the help of so-called. nuclei, i.e. small individual families, formed artificially. To create a nucleus, they remove from a strong family up to two frames with brood and 1-2 feed frames. They are placed in a new hive, which is then transferred to another place.

At the same time, the old bees return to their family, and the young form a new colony, for which they are given a barren uterus or a mature mother liquor is attached.

After the appearance of the new uterus and the onset of worms begin to create a full bee colony. The nucleus is reinforced with ripe brood frames — first add one or two frames, and after a few days two more. In the future, the colony develops independently. The method of dividing a bee colony in half or in half a summer involves the use of a full-fledged strong family. Such a family is mechanically divided approximately equally, from each half a new colony is formed.

The reproduction of bee colonies, called "plaque on the uterus", is practiced when the family is ready for natural swarming, i.e., it has laid down swarm females.

With this method, the colonies are separated so that flight insects with the uterus remain in one hive, and non-flying and offspring in the other.

General comparison with natural breeding

The natural separation of families through swarming has significant drawbacks compared with planned artificial separation.In particular, during the swarming process, the collection of honey is significantly (up to 50%) reduced. In addition, natural swarming is often chaotic - some families swarm, others do not. In such conditions it is practically impossible to plan the growth, development of the apiary.

Under conditions of natural breeding of bee colonies, uncontrolled emergence of queens occurs, including from weak families that are undesirable for further development. The age and origin of queens in swarms is often impossible to establish.

In such circumstances, the beekeeper is not possible to establish breeding work.

Frequent cases are the loss of swarms that do not take root in the apiary. To avoid such losses, it is necessary to observe the apiary for quite a long time. The collection of scattered swarms can be difficult (for example, if the swarm settled on the top of a tree). Thus, the natural separation of bee colonies reduces the productivity of the apiary, interferes with breeding work, causes a lot of trouble for the preservation of separated families. All these problems can be avoided by controlling the process.

On the other hand, natural swarms have certain advantages over artificially formed families. They quickly and efficiently build up honeycombs and more productively work in the honey collection.

Breeding biology

The whole season in the bee family there are processes that affect its population - the emergence of new bees and the death of old ones. By early spring, bees die more than are born, and the number of colonies decreases. But gradually the decline in numbers comes to naught, and then a rather rapid growth of the colony is observed due to active reproduction.

At a certain point, the number of eggs laid daily by the uterus reaches a peak. At the same time, there is an excess of nurse in the hive, and each larva is served by not one, but up to four such bees.

The emergence of a large number of insects that are not loaded up, as well as the resulting tightness of the family, contribute to the launch of natural swarming.

Formation of bee beads

New bee colonies begin to form with the formation of nuclei (the process was described above). A barren bee uterus is placed in the nucleus and covered with a cap, and the next day the uterus is released from under the cap. After about two weeks, she begins laying eggs. To transform a nucleus into a full-fledged otvodok spend his silting. This process begins immediately after the laying of eggs begins in the young queen. One or two frames of printed brood are placed in the nucleus, and after 5 days another pair of frames is placed there.

Thus, rapid growth of the cuttings is achieved, the new bee family becomes self-sufficient and takes an active part in the honey collection.

Instead of the barren queens, sealed mature queen cells can also be placed in the nuclei. In this case, the queen cells are gently attached to the top of the honeycomb near the brood. It is known how long it takes the bee's uterus to get out of the queen cell - 16 days.

But when using a mature mother liquor, this process is significantly reduced. In the future, the layouts are formed in the same way as described above. Formation of cuttings is carried out during the spring before the onset of the main bribe.

Individual bee cuts

If the bees for the nucleus and then for the layering are taken exclusively from the same family, then such otvodok called individual. This type of layering may excessively weaken the primary family.

Bee collecting

In the case when insects from different families are used to form a new bee colony, the layers are called collective. This method allows you to quickly form large enough layers.

Dividing a family of bees in half

Use this method of division is possible only in relation to a large strong colony. To do this, to the populated hive, they put an empty one and place half of the framework with brood and fodder frames in it. It does not matter which hive the uterus falls into. Next, the hives are placed in such a way that both are located at a distance of about half a meter, to the right and left of the original location of the populated hive.In this case, the cages should be located in the same way as the cages of the populated hive in its original place.

Bees, returning, do not find their hive in the old place and begin to be distributed among two adjacent hives.

If they are distributed unevenly, then the more "popular" hive is pushed away.

Gradually, beehives are turned around in opposite directions and moved away from each other to permanent places. In the hive, which turned out to be without a uterus, a fetal uterus is planted.

Bees on the uterus or queen bee

For this method, first of all, prepare a new hive, put it in the place of the settled and move there from the old hive two frames with brood, a couple of stern frames and a uterus.

The old hive is transferred to another place of the apiary, and either a new uterus or a sealed mother liquor is placed into it.

It should be noted that plaque on the uterus or mother liquor is good for avoiding natural swarming, which may be about to begin.On the other hand, the formed families were initially weakened.

In addition, they have a disproportion: in one colony the flight bees with the uterus, and in the other - non-flying and offspring.

Artificial swarming according to the method of Simmins and Taranov

Other methods are used to prevent natural swarming. When using the Simmins method, all frames with worm and honey are moved to the store. These frames are separated from the rest of the empty space at the entrance area by a Hahnemann lattice.

Empty space is filled with a framework with a wrinkle.

Next, two sushi frames are placed on both sides of the entrance. At the bottom of the thus-formed new nest, all insects, including the uterus, are shaken off.

In the future, some of the bees pass through the trellis to the worm, some remain with the uterus and begin to equip a new nest, and the uterus sow the framework. Thus, according to the Simmins method, artificial swarming occurs inside the hive. The Taranov method involves fumigating the bees with smoke through the entrance and then along the top of the framework.This manipulation causes the bees to collect honey in zobiki. Before a letkom, a plank is installed, one edge of which touches the ground, and the other is located in front of the letke.

Bees with the uterus are shaken to the ground next to the board. Under the board, they stumble into a swarm, which is placed in the swarm. Until the next morning, the roevna is kept in a dark, cool place. In the morning, all the queen cells in the hive are destroyed, and the swarm is returned to the old place.

Artificial ways of swarming according to Simmens or Taranov have certain disadvantages. Thus, the Simmens method is applicable only to double-body hives. In addition, it does not allow to control the quality of the uterus, so it is practiced only in small apiaries. When swarming in Taranov, it is important to take the bees that have undergone this procedure, work, otherwise swarming will still happen. To the same result will lead and not destroyed in the beehive hive.

The use of temporary bee cuttings

In some cases, due to the lack of a productive early bribe, the breeding bees are underloaded with work. As a result, they can start swarming, which reduces the productivity of the apiary.To solve this problem, temporary bees are used.

They create these layers in such a way that by the beginning of the main bribe new families could be engaged in honey collection. For this, the layouts are formed at the latest 40 days before the main bribe and the fetal uterus is immediately hooked to it.

For the formation of otvodka use the method known as the division of bees in half (description see above). At the same time, a half of the source family and a third can be resettled to a new hive — it all depends on the specific conditions and condition of the colony. At the end of the season, temporary families are eliminated: bees and broods are attached to the original colony, of the two queens they leave the best.

As a result, the total collection of honey from the main and temporary families increases in comparison with the undivided, and a very strong family is going to wintering.

Breeding time

It is important to note that successful breeding of bees with layering is possible only in favorable periods. These terms are calculated based on the calendar of flowering honey plants. The formation of cuttings, as well as artificial swarming is carried out no later than 5 weeks before the start of the main bribe.

Optimally, the procedure was carried out 50 days before.

In conclusion, it can be said that the natural swarming of bees, as a rule, is an undesirable phenomenon for beekeepers. The use of cuttings, as well as methods such as Simmens and Taranov, are effective ways to prevent it.