Bee culture – Method – Honeybee
Patent
1996-01-19
1997-12-09
Swiatek, Robert P.
Bee culture
Method
Honeybee
449 44, A01K 4704
Patent
active
056953836
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
It has already been suggested that the feeding behavior of worker bees was governed by signals, possibly chemical, emitted by the larvae themselves, such signals allowing the workers to detect the sex, the caste and the stage of development of the larvae being reared (cf., for example, Free, J. B., Winder, M. E.: Anim. Behav. 31, 539 (1983).
Ten molecules have recently been identified on the larvae of bees (Le Conte et al, 1989 Science, Vol. 245, pp. 638-639). Certain of these molecules have been characterized as brood pheromones triggering the capping behavior, by the workers, of cells containing 9-day-old larvae (Le Conte et al, 1990, Naturwissenschaften 77, 334-336). In the context of studies leading to this invention, it has been shown that these molecules are also present on younger larvae and that the bouquet of molecules evolves qualitatively and quantitatively in function of age. The workers' recognition of the age of the larvae appears to be based on the evolution of this bouquet.
The invention uses these observations to provide the means making it possible to orient or reorient the behavior of the workers in line with the particular purposes of the beekeeper, depending on whether he wishes to induce improved acceptance of the larvae at the beginning of rearing, to increase production of royal jelly, regulate the feeding of the larvae so as to favor the development of queen bees, etc., or even to favor several of these orientations simultaneously.
Before proceeding, it would appear appropriate to define a certain number of trade terms which will occur throughout this description. These terms are derived from those given by J. Freshaye in Bull. Tech. apic., 1975, 2, No.2, 15-30.
small hive with 4 or 5 frames, its bottom covered with wire mesh so as to allow no possible escape for the bees, which said hive is populated by a "packet of bees" (thus without queen bee) of approximately 1 kg to 1.5 kg and which makes it possible to start rearing of the royal jelly.
hive populated by a large colony and used for finishing of the royal cells once they have left the starter; the hive is divided by a vertical grill, preventing access by the queen, into two compartments, one of which, orphan with 4 or 5 frames, will receive the contents of the starter while the other is destined to house the rest of the colony, including the queen. For this purpose, very large hives with 15 or 17 frames are often used, thereby limiting the risks of swarming of the compartment containing the queen.
expression used in beekeeping terminology to denote a simple transfer of young worker larvae from their original cell to a skeleton royal cell known as a cupule.
these skeletons of royal cells are generally in wax but may also be in plastic material.
this operation consists of placing the empty cupules (previously fixed on small bars which are themselves placed in a "bar-holder" frame) in a normal colony. The bees of this colony will start constructing royal cells and will deposit a so-called "familiarization" substance which will facilitate their acceptance.
acceptance takes place if the bees have begun the royal rearing of the transferred lava; the living larva and the royal jelly are present in the cell; the cupule is worked and attached to the support by wax reinforcements. Acceptance may be observed on the day following the operation of constructing the starter, at the time of its transfer to the rearing hive (finisher). The non-accepted larvae are destroyed by the bees of the rearing colony.
this is a small board of wood (similar to frame bottom in the super), covered on one side with a 4 to 5 mm slab of wax and on which the cupules are fixed prior to the familiarization operation.
These terminological questions having been resolved, the process, according to the invention, concerns the modification of the behavior of the worker bees of a rearing? colony in an orphan hive or starter or in the orphan part of a hive, this process comprising the grafting of larvae in the cupules of an appropriate frame or comb and the introduction
REFERENCES:
patent: 2331231 (1943-10-01), Root et al.
patent: 4651372 (1987-03-01), Schmidt
Le Conte Yves
Poitou Serge Henri
Sreng Leam
Trouiller Jerome
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
Swiatek Robert P.
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