The uterine cell of its own design
Fig. 1. General view.
I offer readers a uterine cell of its own design. It consists of a transparent body 2 and a bottom 4, in which holes are made for ventilation and contact of the bees with the uterus.
The upper end of the body is closed with a stopper 1. There are also two holes in the bottom, central and lateral, with diameters of 15 and 8 mm, respectively. The first is inserted a cork-feeder 3, divided by an inner partition into two compartments: for water and forage. The second is covered by the sectoral flap 5, which is attached to the feeder cork. The damper has a slot length of 10, width 4 mm. When combining the slot with the hole, the access of the bees to the cell opens.
The notches in the bottom edge of the bottom 4 allow the bees and uterus to pass freely under the cell.
To incubate the mature mother liquor I attach it with molten wax to the plug. Then, inserting the plug into the hole in the case, I place the cell on the upper bars of the frames of a strong family or in a thermostat. In this case, I put food in advance in the feeder so that the outgoing uterus does not die of hunger.
This cell is also designed for catching the uterus. Beekeepers know how much they have to feel unrest and inconvenience. Nevertheless, there is a danger to injure or destroy the uterus. Squeezing the abdomen of the fetus leads to the laying of unfertilized eggs.
Therefore, there was a recommendation not to take the uterus with your hands. Some beekeepers use a paper tube for catching (sometimes lubricating it with liquid honey), match boxes, etc. There are also different forceps with stoppers for capturing the uterus. However, all these methods do not guarantee its safety. The cell allows me to catch the uterus without injuring it. I perform this operation as follows. I remove the bottom 4 and fill the feeder with honey or candy.
Finding the uterus on the honeycomb,
Great care from the beekeeper requires treatment with a queen cell, which is particularly sensitive to shocks in the first three days after sealing. Due to the fact that in our case the mother bottle is attached to the stopper detachable from the body, its safety is ensured.
Transparent body of the cell (when placed on top of the frame of the brood body or in the thermostat) allows you to check the status of the mother cell or uterus in the cell. To be able to place a cell between the frames, its base can be made a traditional rectangular shape. However, in this case, there is a possibility of trauma to the uterus, which, however, is reduced due to the conical shape of the cell.
It is very easy to make a cell by using improvised materials. The body can be made from a polyethylene cup for taking potions (sold in pharmacies). It should only be cut a little lengthwise so that it enters the polyethylene lid from the milk bottle, which will serve as the bottom of the cell. The plug is good to take from the bottles from under the shampoo and cut along the length by 1 cm.
The cell is easy to manufacture, durable, reliable in operation.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)The uterine cell of its own design