Koss Russian bee setup

[Breeder of queens Koss]

Hello everyone. I have completed the instrumental insemination program for this season. Completed the insemination of queens for the VSH project. Now only test, test and test... In the photo, the queen is still under anesthesia in the machine. The circled circles in the photo are suckers with which bees can move on a smooth vertical surface. It happens that bees, when they do not accept the queen well, gnaw these suckers, and then they try to change the queen. Although she looks absolutely normal.

 

[Breeder of queens Koss]

I want to show the equipment for the apiary. Honey is not the main product for me, but a nice bonus)) Recently finished pumping honey. The honey pot is an ordinary radial with 14 frames. I like the honeydew drive - it's programmable, but you can also use it in manual mode. One of the functions is to adjust the pumping speed and time. and movement to the right and left. Power supply is 12 volts, from the battery. the engine - from the stove of a passenger truck - if it breaks down, you can buy it at any car store. Now pumping out honey has become more pleasant, compared to when I turned it manually.

 

[Anaru]

if you are interested, I can tell you about my beekeeping.
I have a multi-body system for 1/2 dadan. 8 frames in 1 case.
I keep a buckfast bee and a carnic.
Every bee has its drawbacks, and buckfast has such a bad reception of larvae
for education. ( compared to other breeds I've worked with) I am working with the starter application.
For grafting, I use a homemade 0.8 mm wide spatula and a microscope. The real quality begins with a larva that is less than 12 hours old
I give the load to the colony - educator of 16 larvae.
This year I have mastered artificial insemination. The percentage of those who died was about 10%, the remaining ones feel well and work hard. This year I inseminated about 10 queens, but using different dosages of sperm and the multiplicity of insemination, I mastered the technology.

Looks an interesting setup

 

[Breeder of queens Koss]

today I did an inspection of the colonies. And I took a photo. This is a clear example of good hygiene in the colony. There is a wax moth hunt going on here. Of course, the main purpose of identifying hygienic behavior is the detection and timely destruction of a sick brood in the early stages of the disease, and not arranging a moth safari))) This is for me an indirect sign that bees have this characteristic.

 

[Breeder of queens Koss]

Hi everybody. There was more free time and I decided to write a post. In the fall of 2022, I finally completed testing some colonies for the ability to resist the varoa tick. One colony showed very good results, despite the fact that it was not treated during the season and was additionally infected with varoa ticks. And I decided that I would be engaged in breeding varoa-resistant bees. This is just the beginning of the road, there is a lot of work to be done, ups and downs, but it really works. And I was convinced by my own experience . In the photo, a form with dolls, so as not to lose count.

 

[LQB Apiary]

I like your locking box system. Very clever

I like the handhold aspect, an easier lift. Could experiment with cutting a Langstroth down to create the corners. Not going to the shed right now though...
Working smart not hard for now. Interesting thread

 

[Breeder of queens Koss]

Spring. The installation time of the building frame for the drone. I prefer them to build the honeycombs themselves.
I would like to ask a question. Do queen breeders pay attention to the cultivation of drones in New Zealand?