A method for mixed rearing of Chinese bees and Italian bees

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of bee breeding, and particularly relates to a method for mixed feeding of Italian bees and Chinese bees. The method for mixed feeding of Italian bees and Chinese bees comprises the following steps: S1: Raise the Italian bee colony at one side position of a double-queen colony beehive; S2: After 2 to 3 days, transfer the Chinese bees into the beehive and raise them at the other side position, and an adjustable queen excluder is installed in the middle of the beehive to separate the two bee colonies; S3: Open both nest entrances, and both bee colonies can freely enter and exit their respective nest entrances, recognize the hive, and collect; S4: After raising for a period of time, adjust the aperture of the queen excluder to 0.2 cm and spray a bee colony odor reduction liquid; S5: After 3 to 5 days, adjust the aperture of the queen excluder to 0.38 cm; S6: After a period of time, remove the escape prevention piece on the nest entrance of the Chinese bee colony to make it more free for the Chinese bees to enter and exit; S7: Add a super in the season with sufficient honey and pollen sources. The present invention provides a method for mixed feeding of Italian bees and Chinese bees, which can not only improve the mite resistance of the Italian bee colony, but also reduce the risk of the Chinese bee colony being infected with wax moths.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of bee breeding, and particularly relates to a method for mixed breeding of Italian bees and Chinese bees. Background Art

[0002] Italian bees are bee species introduced into China in the early 20th century. Due to their mild temperament, strong productivity, and convenience in organizing strong colonies to collect large-scale nectar sources, they are deeply welcomed by beekeepers. However, Italian bees are prone to many diseases, and during some honey-deficient seasons, the colony strength decreases, and at this time, they are easily infected with diseases, such as varroa mite infection. Varroa mites lay eggs in the brood cells of larvae, breed in the capped brood cells, and parasitize on the adult bee bodies, resulting in a shortened lifespan of bees, a decline in foraging ability, and affecting the quality and yield of bee products. In severely affected bee colonies, even a large number of larvae and pupae die, the newly emerged worker bees are incomplete, and there is a crawling bee phenomenon, leading to a rapid weakening of the colony strength of the bee colony. Varroa mites have become the most harmful parasitic disease of Italian bees, seriously affecting the development of the beekeeping industry, and the occurrence of varroa disease is also one of the main reasons why Italian bees are difficult to be kept in a fixed location.

[0003] Currently, the drugs for controlling varroa mites mainly rely on chemical drugs. Since chemical drugs will form residues in bee products, it not only seriously affects the quality and export of bee products, but also endangers the health of consumers. At the same time, bees have developed drug resistance to many chemical drugs used for acaricide, so that the acaricide cannot achieve a good acaricidal effect, and the acaricide with significant efficacy will inevitably cause greater harm to bees, killing a large number of bees while killing varroa mites. Obviously, relying solely on drugs to control varroa mites is not enough, and other ways must be found to control varroa mites. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a scientific and reasonable method for mixed breeding of Italian bees and Chinese bees, which can not only improve the mite resistance of Italian bee colonies, but also reduce the risk of Chinese bees being infected with wax moths.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is realized as follows: A method for mixed breeding of Italian bees and Chinese bees, which is carried out using a double-queen colony beehive, and includes the following steps:

[0006] S1), Raise the Italian bee colony at the outer edge position of the Italian bee warehouse on one side of the double-queen colony beehive;

[0007] S2), After 2 to 3 days, when the Italian bees can normally recognize the hive and forage, block the entrance of the Italian bee hive at night the previous day, and then move a group of Chinese bees to the outer edge position of the Chinese bee warehouse on the other side for breeding during the day the next day. An adjustable queen excluder is installed in the middle of the beehive, and the aperture is adjusted to 0 to completely separate the two groups of bees;

[0008] S3), After 1 - 2 days, the Chinese bees can recognize the hive and forage normally. Open the entrance of the Italian bee hive and install an anti-escape plate with a diameter of 0.38 cm on the entrance of the Chinese bee hive. This aperture anti-escape plate can prevent Italian bees from entering the Chinese bee colony. Both colonies of bees can freely enter and exit their respective hive entrances, and recognize the hive and forage normally;

[0009] S4), After the two colonies of bees are reared normally for 3 - 4 days, adjust the aperture of the adjustable queen excluder in the middle to 0.2 cm, and move the Chinese and Italian bee colonies to positions close to both sides of the queen excluder. Spray the bee colony odor reduction liquid. The two colonies of bees can be in direct contact, but cannot pass through the queen excluder. At this time, the odors of the Chinese and Italian bee colonies have already been mixed, and there will be no biting phenomenon;

[0010] S5), After another 3 - 5 days, adjust the aperture of the adjustable queen excluder to 0.38 cm, so that Chinese bees can enter the Italian bee colony, while Italian bees cannot enter the Chinese bee colony;

[0011] S6), After half a month, remove the anti-escape plate on the entrance of the Chinese bee hive to make it more free for Chinese bees to enter and exit;

[0012] S7), In the season with sufficient nectar and pollen sources, add a super. A mixed queen excluder is arranged between the upper part of the super and the main box body. The mixed queen excluder is composed of a Chinese bee queen excluder with an aperture of 0.38 cm and an Italian bee queen excluder with an aperture of 0.42 cm connected together; The top of the Chinese bee storage box uses a Chinese bee queen excluder, and the top of the Italian bee storage box uses an Italian bee queen excluder; Use Italian bee combs or comb foundations in the super.

[0013] Preferably, the double-queen colony beehive includes a beehive body and a beehive top board. The beehive body is divided into a Chinese bee storage and an Italian bee storage on the left and right sides by an adjustable queen excluder. The Chinese bee storage and the Italian bee storage are respectively provided with a Chinese bee hive entrance and an Italian bee hive entrance along the diagonal direction; The adjustable queen excluder is a PVC material board with the function of adjusting the aperture size, and the aperture can be arbitrarily adjusted between 0 - 0.42 cm.

[0014] The beehive top board includes independent screen covers 1 and 2. A bayonet for fixing the adjustable queen excluder is arranged in the middle of the beehive body.

[0015] In step S2, select 3 - 5 combs of the Chinese bee colony that contain both capped and uncapped broods, together with the Chinese bee queen and worker bees with their wings cut off on the combs.

[0016] Preferably, the bee colony odor reduction liquid is composed of alcohol with a concentration of 50% and honey water with a concentration of 30% mixed in a mass ratio of 1:20.

[0017] The present invention solves the defects in the background technology and has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] (1) It improves the mite resistance of Italian honeybee colonies. Chinese honeybees are characterized by strong disease resistance. They are hardly infected by varroa mites and also have good resistance to other diseases. The reason is that Chinese honeybees have strong cleaning ability against mites, pathogens, etc., and some pheromones released in the bee colony are conducive to driving away pests and pathogenic bacteria. Scientists have found that when varroa mites attach to the bodies of Chinese honeybee workers, the workers will keep shaking, causing other workers to bite the mites and finally cleaning up the mites. Secondly, Chinese honeybees have the habit of biting old comb frames. Therefore, when using this method to raise Chinese and Italian honeybees in mixed colonies, Chinese honeybees can help Italian honeybees clean the mites and other pathogens on their bodies, and help clean the comb frames of Italian honeybees to keep the hive clean and hygienic. In addition, the pheromones released by Chinese honeybee colonies also spread to Italian honeybee colonies, which is conducive to driving away some pests and pathogenic bacteria in Italian honeybee colonies. And this method also reduces the artificial use of drugs to control bee diseases and reduces the chemical residues.

[0019] (2) Chinese honeybees are easily infected by wax moths, while Italian honeybees have strong resistance to wax moths. Therefore, using this method to raise Chinese and Italian honeybees in mixed colonies reduces the risk of Chinese honeybees being infected by wax moths.

[0020] (3) Italian honeybees have weak cold and heat resistance. After being raised in mixed colonies with Chinese honeybees, it is beneficial to the temperature regulation of the bee colony.

[0021] (4) When Italian honeybees are kept in a fixed location, the nectar sources are scarce in some seasons, which will cause the population of Italian honeybee colonies to drop sharply. After mixed raising, Chinese honeybees can help Italian honeybees store honey and maintain the food reserve of Italian honeybees (Chinese honeybees are good at using scattered nectar sources and consume less honey).

[0022] (5) In the same area, there are both Chinese honeybee colonies and Italian honeybee colonies. Italian honeybees have a suppressing effect on Chinese honeybees when foraging in the wild. However, after raising Chinese and Italian honeybees in mixed colonies, when Chinese honeybees and Italian honeybees in the same hive meet in the wild, there will be no fighting phenomenon, which is beneficial to the foraging of Chinese honeybees to a certain extent.

[0023] (6) In hot weather, Chinese honeybees face away from the hive entrance and fan air into the hive, while Italian honeybees face the hive entrance and draw air out of the hive to achieve the cooling effect. When the two types of bees are raised in mixed colonies in the above way, the hive entrances of Chinese and Italian honeybees are distributed diagonally, which can accelerate the convection of hot air in the beehive in hot weather and achieve a better heat dissipation and cooling effect.

[0024] (7) The mixed bee colony can produce a new type of honey (Chinese-Italian honey), and this mixed honey can complement the respective advantages of Chinese honey and Italian honey, such as fragrance, sweetness and concentration, etc.

[0025] (8) In previous examples of mixed raising, most were for scientific research experiments, only achieving the mixed state of Chinese and Italian honeybee workers and failing to realize the coexistence of two queens in the same colony. When the lifespan of the workers of one side ends, the mixed colony will also become a single bee species colony. Using this method for mixed raising realizes the effect of coexistence of two queens of different bee species in the same colony, which has long-term practical significance for production. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural view of the double-queen colony beehive of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural view of the double-queen colony beehive with a super added;

[0028] Figure 3 For Figure 1 This is a schematic structural view of the adjustable queen excluder in

[0029] Figure 4 For Figure 1 This is a schematic structural view of the queen escape prevention piece in

[0030] In the figure: 1 - Chinese honeybee compartment, 2 - Italian honeybee compartment, 3 - adjustable queen excluder, 4 - Chinese honeybee hive entrance, 5 - Italian honeybee hive entrance, 6 - beehive top board, 61 - screen cover 1, 62 - screen cover 2, 7 - bayonet, 8 - super, 9 - mixed queen excluder, 91 - Chinese honeybee queen excluder, 92 - Italian honeybee queen excluder, 10 - queen escape prevention piece. Detailed Embodiment

[0031] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] Embodiment

[0033] A method for mixed breeding of Chinese and Italian honeybees, as Figures 1 to 4 shown, is carried out using a double-queen colony beehive, including the following steps:

[0034] S1), Raise the Italian honeybee colony at the outer edge position of the Italian honeybee compartment 2 on the right side of the double-queen colony beehive;

[0035] S2), After 2 - 3 days, when the Italian honeybees can normally recognize the hive and forage, block the Italian honeybee hive entrance 5 at night on the previous day, and then move a group of Chinese honeybees to the outer edge position of the Chinese honeybee compartment 1 on the other side for raising during the day of the next day. At this time, the two groups of bees are completely separated by the adjustable queen excluder 3 in the middle of the beehive; Select 3 - 5 combs containing capped and uncapped broods for the Chinese honeybee colony, along with the Chinese honeybee queen and worker bees with their wings cut off on the combs.

[0036] S3), After 1 - 2 days, when the Chinese honeybees can normally recognize the hive and forage, open both the Italian honeybee hive entrance 5 and the Chinese honeybee hive entrance 4, and install a queen escape prevention piece with a pore diameter of 0.38 cm on the Chinese honeybee hive entrance 4 (the Chinese honeybees can enter and exit, while the Italian honeybees cannot). The two groups of bees can freely enter and exit their respective hive entrances and normally recognize the hive and forage;

[0037] S4), After the two groups of bees are normally bred for 3 to 4 days, adjust the aperture of the middle adjustable queen excluder 3 to 0.2 cm, and move the Chinese bee colony and the Italian bee colony to the positions closely adjacent to both sides of the queen excluder, and spray the bee colony odor reduction liquid. At this time, the odors of the Chinese bee colony and the Italian bee colony have already been mixed, and there will be no biting phenomenon;

[0038] S5), After another 3 to 5 days, adjust the aperture of the adjustable queen excluder 3 to about 0.38 cm. This size is slightly larger than the chest size of Chinese bees and slightly smaller than the chest size of Italian bees. Some worker bees of Chinese bees will enter the Italian bee colony, and Italian bees cannot enter the Chinese bee colony. The bee colony odor reduction liquid is composed of 50% alcohol and 30% honey water with a mass ratio of 1:20. This colony odor reduction liquid uses a small amount of alcohol mixed with honey water. The purpose is to emit the pungent smell of alcohol and the sweet smell of honey water after spraying, covering the respective colony odors of the Chinese bee colony and the Italian bee colony to achieve the effect of combining colonies. And the amount of alcohol dropped in is very small, so it will hardly cause harm to the bee colony. This bee colony odor reduction liquid is used to reduce the colony odor of bee colonies during the feeding and management of bees, and has almost no harmful stimulation to the bee colony. Through practical use, it can combine bee colonies very well.

[0039] S6), After about half a month, remove the escape prevention piece 10 on the entrance of the Chinese bee hive 4 to make it more free for Chinese bees to enter and exit;

[0040] S7), In the season with sufficient nectar and pollen sources, add a super 8. Use a Chinese bee queen excluder 91 with an aperture of 0.38 cm on the top of the Chinese bee warehouse hive, and use an Italian bee queen excluder 92 with a standard Italian bee aperture (0.42 cm) on the top of the Italian bee warehouse hive. The above two queen excluders are connected as a whole to form a combined queen excluder 9, that is, worker bees of both Chinese bees and Italian bees can enter the super through this queen excluder, while Italian bees still cannot enter the Chinese bee colony through the 0.38 cm aperture queen excluder on the top of the Chinese bee warehouse. Use Italian bee combs or comb foundations in the super 8. This design method enables Chinese bee worker bees to be in any position in the main hive body and the super, while Italian bees can be in any position except the Chinese bee warehouse. The purpose of this design is to prevent larger Italian bees from surrounding the queen (Chinese queen) in the Chinese bee warehouse, occupying Chinese bee combs or building honeycombs unsuitable for Chinese bees on Chinese bee combs. And smaller-sized and fewer Chinese bee worker bees will not pose a threat to the Italian bees and the queen (Italian queen) in the Italian bee warehouse, and Italian bee combs are usually full combs with comb foundations, and a small number of Chinese bees will not cause chaos in Italian bee honeycombs. Our team has successfully raised a mixed colony of Chinese bees and Italian bees using this method.

[0041] The double-queen colony beehive includes a beehive body and a beehive top board 6. The beehive body is divided into a Chinese honeybee compartment 1 and an Italian honeybee compartment 2 on the left and right sides by an adjustable queen-excluding board 3. A Chinese honeybee hive door 4 and an Italian honeybee hive door 5 are correspondingly arranged on the Chinese honeybee compartment 1 and the Italian honeybee compartment 2 along the diagonal direction. The adjustable queen-excluding board 3 is a PVC material queen-excluding board with an adjustable aperture size. Specifically, the adjustable queen-excluding board 3 has a double-layer structure, and its inner board is adjusted up and down through multiple groups of mounting holes arranged on the outer board to change the size of the aperture, so as to achieve the adjustment purpose. The double-queen colony beehive also includes a super 8 installed above the main beehive body, and a mixed queen-excluding board 9 is arranged between the main beehive body and the super 8. The beehive top board 6 includes a screen cover 1 (61) and a screen cover 2 (62), and a bayonet 7 for fixing the adjustable queen-excluding board 3 is arranged in the middle of the beehive body. The existing beehive screen covers are all in one piece, while the present invention divides it into two parts to enable independent operation. For example, at night on the previous day, the Italian honeybee hive door is blocked and closed, and then a group of Chinese honeybees is raised in the Chinese honeybee compartment on the other side the next day. Therefore, independent operation is required here. If the screen cover is in one piece, it cannot be operated, and when the screen cover is picked up, the Italian honeybees will fly out.

[0042] The principle of the present invention is as follows: The present invention uses a double-queen colony beehive for breeding, and an adjustable queen-excluding board 3 is used. It gradually develops from the same colony odor to physical contact, and finally realizes the state where Chinese honeybee worker bees are mixed into the Italian honeybee compartment. The adjustable queen-excluding board 3 used in the present invention can rapidly mix the colony odors between Chinese and Italian honeybees by adjusting the aperture within the range of 0 - 0.42 cm, enhancing communication, and thus accelerating the speed of mutual acceptance between the two. By using the honeybee colony odor reducing liquid, the colony odors of the two bee colonies can be weakened. On the basis of not polluting bee products and not harming bees, it can promote the mixing of the colony odors of Chinese and Italian honeybees and prompt mutual acceptance between them, with a good effect. The Chinese and Italian honeybee hive doors of the double-queen colony beehive are arranged diagonally, which can accelerate the convection of air flow in the beehive in hot weather, achieving a better cooling effect, and at the same time effectively avoiding the situation where bees misidentify the hive doors and bite each other.

[0043] Test example

[0044] For the varroa mite control test of bee colonies, by adjusting the bee colonies, 6 colonies of varroa mite-infested bee colonies with 3 frames (A), 4 frames (B), and 5 frames (C) of bee population are formed. Randomly select 3 colonies from each of A, B, and C as the experimental groups, and the remaining 3 colonies as the control groups. The varroa mite parasitism rates in each group of bees in A, B, and C are measured respectively. Then, according to the method provided by the present invention, using this mixed breeding method, the corresponding proportions of Chinese honeybees and brood combs are added to the experimental groups of A, B, and C to form mixed bee colonies, and only empty combs are added to the control groups. After 35 days, the varroa mite parasitism rates of each bee colony are measured respectively, and the results are shown in Table 1.

[0045] Varroa mite parasitism rate (%) = (number of bees or cells parasitized by varroa mites / number of bees or cells inspected) × 100%.

[0046] Table 1 Comparison of Varroa parasitism rates in mixed bee colonies

[0047] A (3 combs) B (4 combs) C (5 combs) Control group % 2.31 2.41 2.72 Test group % 1.45 1.62 1.83

[0048] The Varroa parasitism rate is an important indicator for measuring the susceptibility of a bee colony to Varroa infestation, that is, the mite resistance of the bee colony. The lower the parasitism rate, the stronger the mite resistance of the bee colony. As can be seen from Table 1, the Varroa parasitism rate of the mixed Apis cerana and Apis mellifera colonies is significantly lower than that of the control group colonies. Mixing Apis cerana into Apis mellifera colonies can effectively improve the Varroa epidemic in Apis mellifera colonies. It was found in the experiment that the Varroa parasitism rate of the mixed colonies decreased significantly.

[0049] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for mixed rearing of Chinese bees and Italian bees, characterized in that, Raising with a double-queen beehive includes the following steps: S1), Raise the Italian bee colony at the outer edge position of the Italian bee warehouse (2) on one side of the double-queen beehive; S2), After 2 to 3 days, when the Italian bees can normally recognize the hive and forage, block the Italian bee hive entrance (5) at night on the previous day, and then move a group of Chinese bees to the outer edge position of the Chinese bee warehouse (1) on the other side during the day of the next day. An adjustable queen excluder (3) is installed in the middle of the beehive, and the aperture is adjusted to 0 to completely separate the two groups of bees; S3), After 1 to 2 days, when the Chinese bees can normally recognize the hive and forage, open the Italian bee hive entrance (5), and install an escape-proof sheet (10) with an aperture of 0.38 cm on the Chinese bee hive entrance (4). This escape-proof sheet (10) can prevent Italian bees from entering the Chinese bee colony. Both groups of bees can freely enter and exit their respective hive entrances and normally recognize the hive and forage; S4), After the two groups of bees are normally raised for 3 to 4 days, adjust the aperture of the adjustable queen excluder (3) in the middle to 0.2 cm, and move the Chinese and Italian bee colonies to the positions close to both sides of the queen excluder, and spray the bee colony odor reduction liquid. The two groups of bees can directly contact but cannot pass through the queen excluder. At this time, the odors of the Chinese and Italian bee colonies have already been mixed, and there will be no biting phenomenon; S5), After another 3 to 5 days, adjust the aperture of the adjustable queen excluder (3) to 0.38 cm so that Chinese bees can enter the Italian bee colony, while Italian bees cannot enter the Chinese bee colony; S6), After half a month, remove the escape-proof sheet (10) on the Chinese bee hive entrance (4) to make it more free for Chinese bees to enter and exit; S7), In the season with sufficient nectar and pollen sources, add a super (8). A mixed queen excluder (9) is provided between the upper part of the super (8) and the main box body. The mixed queen excluder (9) is composed of a Chinese bee queen excluder (91) with an aperture of 0.38 cm and an Italian bee queen excluder (92) with an aperture of 0.42 cm connected. The Chinese bee queen excluder (91) is used on the top of the Chinese bee warehouse (1) beehive, and the Italian bee queen excluder (92) is used on the top of the Italian bee warehouse (2) beehive; Italian bee combs or comb foundations are used in the super (8).

2. The method for mixed rearing of Chinese bees and Italian bees according to claim 1, characterized in that: The double-queen beehive includes a beehive body and a beehive top board (6). The beehive body is divided into a Chinese bee warehouse (1) and an Italian bee warehouse (2) on the left and right sides by an adjustable queen excluder (3). The Chinese bee warehouse (1) and the Italian bee warehouse (2) are respectively provided with a Chinese bee hive entrance (4) and an Italian bee hive entrance (5) along the diagonal direction; the adjustable queen excluder (3) is a PVC material board with the function of adjusting the aperture size, and the aperture can be arbitrarily adjusted between 0 and 0.42 cm.

3. The method for mixed feeding of Chinese and Italian bees according to claim 2, characterized in that: The beehive top board (6) includes an independent screen cover 1 (61) and a screen cover 2 (62). A bayonet (7) for fixing the adjustable queen excluder (3) is provided in the middle of the beehive body.

4. The method for mixed rearing of Chinese and Italian bees according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, 3 to 5 combs of brood combs containing capped and uncapped broods are selected for the Chinese bee colony, together with the Chinese bee queen and worker bees with their wings cut off on the brood combs.

5. The method for mixed rearing of Chinese bees and Italian bees according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bee colony odor reduction liquid is composed of alcohol with a concentration of 50% and honey water with a concentration of 30% mixed in a mass ratio of 1:20.

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