Insemination Work On Site

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Alastair

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Yes it's from Ukraine. I was not sure they could send it because of the war, but they did. Ukrainians seem very interested in artificial insemination there are several good designs made by Ukrainian guys.

The microscope is a cheap one from China, my main AI setup is a Schley with a better microscope. But the setup in the picture is good for collecting semen cos I can take it in the truck without risking damage to the good setup.
 
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Not only Ukraine. In Belarus and Russia, this direction is developing very actively. It is possible in other countries of the former Soviet Union the same. There are annual training seminars, group communication, personal communication. Information on the Internet and books. In my opinion, this is due to the fact that material from Europe began to arrive in these countries, first Karnik, then Buckfast. In the first year, it is very noticeable how the separated material works in comparison with local crossbreeds. And very quickly you get used to working in shorts and a T-shirt without a smoker)) Beekeepers are beginning to think about the preservation of successful lines, the creation of their lines adapted to the local climate. And without controlled mating, this is impossible. Now groups are being organized to work in the VSH direction.
 

Alastair

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That's great to hear BOQK (Breeder of Queens Koss), yes, controlled mating is the key to many things, it has been very lacking here in NZ.

For the solution I use 3% saline with some gentamicin. It is not suitable to dilute the sperm but it's just for the syringe and tubing.
 
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I also use a similar solution. For freshly harvested sperm, this is quite an acceptable option. This year I want to assemble a refrigerator for short-term storage of capillaries with sperm. Probably the most difficult thing is to grow a drone correctly.
 
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Alastair

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Do you mean if they look healthy?

If so yes, very pleased with the results.

Some friends of mine have had a try also and those got a bit butchered but even those are fairly good.
 

Alastair

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My main equipment is a Schley, which did not come from Ukraine. However Schley do not sell a remote control syringe as per the pic in post 1, so I bought that plus some other bits and pieces from these two guys, both in Ukraine. I am not sure the full setups they sell are the best although you can have a look, but they also sell some nice other parts of their own design.
Mark is an extreme end conspiracy theorist which can be a bit off putting but he never the less makes and sell some good stuff. Vitalii fought against Russians until he was badly hurt and is now recovering but still makes and sells some great stuff.

I was worried the war would stop them freighting stuff to me, but they managed it.



The microscope pictured came from Aliexpress, I selected the option with the light, wider base, and the extra lenses

 
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