Method for improving comb making rate of Chinese bee movable frame with foundation

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for increasing the comb making rate of a Chinese bee movable frame with a foundation, which comprises the following steps of: S1, selecting a Chinese bee and Italian bee colony with good colony potential and normal spawning of a queen bee, and feeding the Chinese bee and Italian bee colony in a beehive; s2, during sunset, adding a frame for mounting a Chinese honeycomb foundation into a nest of the swarms of Italian bees, and feeding syrup to the swarms of Italian bees; after the apis mellifera constructs a semi-finished honeycomb, the semi-finished honeycomb is taken out; s3, semi-finished honeycombs taken out of the Italian honeycombs are added into the Chinese bee colony nests for Chinese bee colonies to build honeycombs in a relay mode, the Chinese bee colonies are fed with syrup, and spleen building is completed by the Chinese bee colonies. By means of the method, the Chinese bee finished product honeycomb of the Langshi standard box can be built within 28 hours.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of beekeeping, and in particular relates to a method for improving the honeycomb production rate of Chinese honeybees using movable frames and foundations. Background Art

[0002] There are nine existing species of honeybees in the genus Apis. Apis mellifera and Apis mellifera are the most common and widely bred in captivity. Apis mellifera is primarily found in Asia, while Apis mellifera is found on every continent except the Arctic and Antarctic. Apis cerana is a subspecies of Apis mellifera, while Apis serina is a subspecies of Apis mellifera. These two species are reproductively isolated and cannot interbreed.

[0003] Both Chinese and Italian bees secrete beeswax from their wax glands to build their hives. The honeycomb, where the bee colony conducts its various life activities, consists of one or more vertically aligned, parallel honeycombs with gaps between them. Honeycombs are composed of cells, which can comprise thousands of cells. These cells are primarily used by the bee colony to rear brood and store food. Chinese and Italian bees each build natural cells of varying sizes, depending primarily on the species. The dimensions of these natural cells form the basis for the design and manufacture of honeycomb foundations. Since Mehring invented the flat foundation stamping machine in Germany in 1857, honeycomb foundations have been widely used in beekeeping. Honeycomb foundations form the foundation for the honeycomb. Worker bees secrete beeswax to raise the cell walls, forming the honeycomb. Commercial honeycomb foundations for Chinese and Italian bees have pre-set cell diameters of 4.75mm and 5.30mm, respectively, meaning they are not interchangeable.

[0004] The rate at which a bee colony builds honeycombs is primarily influenced by bee species, weather, nectar source, and colony strength. In spring, Chinese bee colonies with fewer than three full-frame bees have a very low honeycomb-building rate. Colonies with four to seven full-frame bees have a faster rate, producing a full Lang's standard honeycomb in four to five days. However, colonies with more than eight full-frame bees experience swarming fever, with either no honeycomb construction or an extremely low rate. Furthermore, beekeepers have observed that honeycomb construction in Chinese bee colonies reared in movable frames can be insufficient. When using foundation frames to house Chinese bees, the foundations near the lower beams and side bars of the frames are not fully constructed into honeycombs, indicating a lack of honeycomb construction.

[0005] Currently, honeycomb production in Chinese bees has three disadvantages: First, honeycomb production capacity varies seasonally, with spring being the best time for honeycomb production and other seasons producing less efficiently. Second, weak colonies are unable to produce honeycombs or produce them at a very low rate, while strong colonies experiencing swarming fever either do not produce honeycombs or produce them at a very low rate. Third, gaps in the foundation frames result in insufficient honeycomb area. Therefore, a method or measure is needed to address the low honeycomb production rate in live-frame farming. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to overcome the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes a method for increasing the honeycomb production rate of Chinese honeybees with movable frames and foundations.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0008] A method for increasing the honeycomb production rate of a honeybee movable frame with a foundation comprises the following steps:

[0009] S1, select Chinese honey bees and Italian honey bees with good colony status and queen bees laying eggs normally, and raise them in beehives;

[0010] S2, at sunset, add a honeycomb frame with a medium honeycomb foundation to the beehive of the Italian bee colony, and feed the Italian bee colony with syrup; after the Italian bees build a semi-finished honeycomb, remove the semi-finished honeycomb; the time it takes for the Italian bees to build a honeycomb is 4-6 hours from the time the honeycomb foundation frame is added;

[0011] S3, the semi-finished honeycombs taken out from the Italian bee hive are added into the hive of the Chinese bee colony for the Chinese bee colony to relay the construction of honeycombs, feed the Chinese bee colony with syrup, and the Chinese bee colony completes the honeycomb construction; the Chinese bee honeycomb construction time is 22-26 hours from the start of adding the semi-finished honeycombs.

[0012] Furthermore, the beehives are all Lang's standard beehives, and each beehive of the Chinese bee colony is equipped with 4 honeycombs, each honeycomb is crawling with adult worker bees; the beehive of each Italian bee colony consists of a hive and a super, with 10 honeycombs in the hive and 6 honeycombs in the super, each honeycomb is crawling with adult worker bees.

[0013] Furthermore, in steps S2 and S3, the amount of syrup fed is: 1 kg of syrup with a sucrose content of 50%.

[0014] Furthermore, in the step S2, the time for Italian bees to build the honeycomb is 4 hours starting from the addition of the honeycomb foundation frame.

[0015] Furthermore, in the step S3, the honeycomb making time of the Chinese bees is 24 hours from the time the semi-finished honeycomb is added.

[0016] Through the above technical solution, the present invention can at least achieve the following beneficial effects: through the method described in the present invention, a finished honeycomb of the Chinese bee in a Lang's standard box can be built in 28 hours. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the Lang standard nest frame in the present invention, in which: (A) is a front view of the nest frame; (B) is a schematic diagram of the rectangular groove on the underside of the upper beam of the nest frame; (C) is a front view of the rectangular groove on the underside of the upper beam of the nest frame;

[0018] Figure 2To show the diameters of the cells in different directions, (A) a schematic diagram of a honeycomb with a foundation; (B) the diameter d1 at 0°, the diameter d2 at 60°, and the diameter d3 at 120°; (C) the depth OP of the cells;

[0019] Figure 3 A photo of a semi-finished honeycomb that took 4 hours to build for an Italian bee colony using a Chinese honeycomb foundation frame;

[0020] Figure 4 A photo of a honeycomb constructed by an Italian bee colony using a Chinese honeycomb foundation frame over a two-hour period (the construction took less than four hours, the cell bottom was shallowly elevated, and most of the sides and lower edge of the honeycomb remained in foundation form);

[0021] Figure 5 A photo of a honeycomb constructed over six hours for an Italian bee colony using a Chinese honeycomb foundation frame (the construction took more than four hours, resulting in a large number of irregular cells, with the shape and size of the cells modified by the Italian bees);

[0022] Figure 6 A magnified image of a semi-finished honeycomb that took four hours to build for an Italian bee colony using a Chinese honeycomb foundation frame;

[0023] Figure 7 A photo of a 4+24-hour honeycomb constructed by a colony of Italian and Chinese bees, with the Italian bees building it for 4 hours, followed by the Chinese bees building it for 24 hours.

[0024] Figure 8 A diagram of the cells of the 4+24-hour Chinese honeycomb constructed for the Italian and Chinese honeybee colonies;

[0025] Figure 9 A picture of the queen bee laying eggs in the cells of the 4+24-hour Chinese honeycomb built by the Italian bee colony and the Chinese bee colony;

[0026] Figure 10 Finished honeycombs were built by Italian bee colonies and Chinese bee colonies in relays. The construction time for Italian bee colonies was more than 4 hours, while that for Chinese bee colonies was 24 hours. (The shape and size of most cells were restored to the preset level of the Chinese bee hive foundation. A small number of cells could not be restored to the preset level, and the honeycombs were not beautiful or practical enough.)

[0027] Figure 11 28-hour honeycomb built for Chinese honeybee colonies using Chinese honeybee nest frames (the cells are shallow and still cannot be used for egg laying and brood rearing);

[0028] Figure 12 This is a statistical chart of honeycomb parameters, in which: (A) is honeycomb length; (B) is honeycomb width; (C) is honeycomb thickness; (D) is the total number of cells on both sides of the honeycomb; (E) is the cell construction rate of the honeycomb; and (F) is the percentage of cells.

[0029] Figure 13 The figures are statistical graphs of honeycomb data, in which: (A) is a comparison of the diameter sizes of the cells in different directions of the 28-hour honeycomb built by the Chinese honeybee; (B) is a comparison of the diameter sizes of the cells in different directions of the 4+24-hour honeycomb built by the Italian honeybee colony and the Chinese honeybee colony in relay; (C) is a comparison of the average diameter size of the cells of the 28-hour honeycomb built by the Chinese honeybee colony and the average diameter size of the cells of the 4+24-hour honeycomb built by the Italian honeybee and the Chinese honeybee colony in relay; (D) is a comparison of the cell depth of the 28-hour honeycomb built by the Chinese honeybee colony and the cell depth of the 4+24-hour honeycomb built by the Italian honeybee and the Chinese honeybee colony in relay. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Unless otherwise stated, all materials and reagents used in the present invention are commercially available.

[0031] Example 1 Materials and Methods

[0032] 1.1 Establishing experimental bee colonies and building honeycombs

[0033] The experimental bee colonies were composed of 35 similar colonies of Chinese honeybees and 22 similar colonies of Italian honeybees, all of which were queens that laid eggs normally. Each Chinese honeybee colony contained four honeycombs, each of which was crawling with adult worker bees. Each Italian honeybee colony consisted of a hive box and a super box, each containing 10 honeycombs and 6 honeycombs, each of which was crawling with adult worker bees.

[0034] Before the formal experiment, a preliminary test was conducted using the established Italian bee experimental bee colony to determine the actual situation of the Italian bee colony using the Chinese bee honeycomb frame to build honeycombs. Preliminary test operation process: At sunset, a Chinese bee wax honeycomb frame (average size of honeycomb frame 41.7cm×20.0cm, average number of honeycomb base 8624, honeycomb cell diameter 4.75±0.003mm, N) was added to the super box of the Italian bee colony. cell =60) Lang's movable frame standard honeycomb for bee colonies to build honeycombs; at the same time, the Italian bee colonies were fed 1 kg of syrup with a sucrose content of 50%. Starting from the addition of the honeycomb frame, the actual situation of honeycomb construction using the honeycomb frame by the Italian bee colonies was checked every 2 hours until the experimental honeycomb was removed from the Italian bee hive at the 6th hour, at which time the Italian bee colonies stopped building the experimental honeycomb.

[0035] According to the results of the preliminary test, it was determined that the critical time for the Italian bee colony to build honeycombs using the Chinese bee honeycomb frame is 4 hours when all 16 honeycombs are crawling with adult worker bees. The Chinese bee colonies were divided into two groups, A and B. Group A had 13 colonies and served as the control group; Group B had 22 colonies and served as the treatment group. At sunset, a Chinese bee beeswax honeycomb foundation (the average size of the honeycomb foundation piece was 41.7cm×20.0cm, the average number of honeycomb bases was 8624, the honeycomb cell diameter was 4.75±0.003mm, and the N cell =60) Lang's movable frame standard honeycomb frame for bee colonies to build honeycombs; at the same time, each bee colony was fed 1kg of syrup with a sucrose content of 50%. Starting from the time the honeycomb frame was added, after 4 hours, the experimental honeycomb was quickly taken out from the Italian bee hive and added to the hive of the Chinese bee colony treatment group for the Chinese bee colony to relay build the experimental honeycomb. During this period, the Chinese bee colony in the treatment group was fed 1kg of syrup with a sucrose content of 50%. After the Chinese bee colony relayed to build the experimental honeycomb for 24 hours, the experimental honeycomb was taken out from the hives of the treatment group bee colony and the control group bee colony. After the above-mentioned Chinese and Italian bee relay honeycomb building research experiment, three types of honeycombs were obtained: honeycombs built by the Chinese bee colony using the Chinese bee honeycomb foundation frame for 28 hours, semi-finished honeycombs built by the Italian bee colony using the Chinese bee honeycomb foundation frame for 4 hours, and finished honeycombs built by the Italian bee colony and the Chinese bee colony using the Chinese bee honeycomb foundation frame for 4+24 hours.

[0036] 1.2 Statistical honeycomb parameters

[0037] Langshi ten-frame standard nest frame ( Figure 1 A) The ventral surface of the upper beam is generally provided with a structure for fixing the nest foundation piece. A rectangular groove with a width of 4mm and a depth of 3 to 4mm is longitudinally planed on the center line of the ventral surface of the upper beam. Figure 1 B. Figure 1 C) When installing the foundation, insert the long edge of the foundation into the groove. After the bees fill it with wax to reinforce it, the foundation is secured to the upper beam. The inner dimensions of a standard Lang ten-frame hive are 42.0 cm × 20.5 cm, and the foundation piece measures 41.7 cm × 20.0 cm. Therefore, the effective foundation piece installed in the frame measures 41.7 cm × 19.7 cm, resulting in 8526 effective cell bases. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the actual length, width, and thickness of the honeycombs built by the bees, as well as the number of cells on each side of each honeycomb.

[0038]

[0039] 1.3 Measuring the size of the nest

[0040] According to (Yang S., Deng S., Kuang H., et al. Evaluating and comparing the natural cell structure and dimensions of honey bee comb cells of Chinese bee, Apis cerana cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Italian bee, Apis melliferaligustica (Hymenoptera: Apidae) [J]. Journal of insect science (Online), 2021, 21 (4): 1-9. doi: 10.1093 / jisesa / ieab042), the cell size was measured by making a cell model with epoxy resin. The three diameters of the cell model were measured with a vernier caliper (accuracy ± 0.02 mm): diameter d1 at 0°, diameter d2 at 60°, and diameter d3 at 120°. Figure 2 ), the length of the model (i.e. Figure 2 OP length in C) represents the depth of the nest cell.

[0041] 1.4 Statistical analysis

[0042] Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 9.5 (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA; https: / / www.graphpad.com / scientific-software / prism / ). Descriptive statistics were performed for the length, width, thickness, and number of cells constructed in the honeycomb. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine the normal distribution of the experimental data. Welch's ANOVA test was performed for the diameters of cells constructed in different directions after 28 hours of construction, and Games-Howell multiple comparisons were performed for the diameters d1 at 0°, d2 at 60°, and d3 at 120°. Welch's t-test was performed to compare the mean diameters and depths of cells constructed in different directions after 28 hours of construction by Chinese honeybees and the mean diameters and depths of cells constructed in different directions by relay colonies of Italian honeybees and Chinese honeybees for 4+24 hours, respectively. The significance level was α = 0.05. Statistical values are expressed as mean ± standard error.

[0043] 2 Results

[0044] 2.1 Characteristics of relay honeycomb production in Italian and Chinese honeybee colonies

[0045] When there is a foundation frame in the hive, bees start to build cells from both sides of the foundation at the same time. The construction order is from the top of the foundation frame to the bottom. The bee colony needs to be fed with syrup during the construction. It was determined that the optimal time for the Italian bee colony to build honeycombs using the Chinese honeycomb foundation frame is 4 hours when all 16 honeycombs are crawling with adult worker bees. Figure 3 ), when the construction time is less than 4 hours ( Figure 4 ), When the construction time is longer than 4 hours, the shape and size of the cells are modified by the Italian bees ( Figure 5 Although it only takes Italian bees 4 hours to build a semi-finished honeycomb from a Chinese honeycomb foundation frame and maintain the shape and size of the cells preset on the foundation, the surface of this semi-finished honeycomb is so rough that obvious beeswax particles can be seen ( Figure 6 However, after being built by the Chinese bee colony for 24 hours, this rough semi-finished honeycomb becomes a finished honeycomb with a delicate and beautiful surface. Figure 7 ), whose nest cells are smooth and dense ( Figure 8 ) and the queen bee begins to lay eggs in the cells ( Figure 9 After 24 hours of construction, the semi-finished honeycomb with modified cells shape and size that took more than 4 hours to build becomes a finished honeycomb with a delicate surface but lacks beauty. Figure 10 ), the shape and size of most of the cells on the honeycomb were restored to the preset level, but a small part of the cells could not be restored to the preset level. After 28 hours of construction, the surface of the honeycomb was delicate and beautiful, but the cells on both sides and the lower edge of each honeycomb frame were not built. Figure 11 shown.

[0046] 2.2 Honeycomb size parameters

[0047] The average length, width and thickness of the honeycomb built by the Chinese honeybee colony using the honeycomb foundation frame 28 hours later were 41.78±0.02cm, 19.64±0.05cm and 10.40±0.29mm respectively. The data distribution characteristics showed that the actual construction length of 76.92% of the honeycombs was greater than the average length, the actual construction width of 46.15% of the honeycombs was greater than the average width, and the actual construction thickness of 61.54% of the honeycombs was greater than the average thickness. Figure 12 As shown in A, 12B, and 12C.

[0048] The average length, width and thickness of the semi-finished honeycombs built by the Italian bee colony using the Chinese honeycomb foundation frame after 4 hours were 41.68±0.02cm, 19.70±0.03cm and 5.60±0.11mm respectively. The data distribution characteristics showed that the actual construction length of 63.64% of the honeycombs was greater than the average length, the actual construction width of 72.73% of the honeycombs was ≥ the average width, and the actual construction thickness of 54.55% of the honeycombs was greater than the average thickness. Figure 12 As shown in A, 12B, and 12C.

[0049] The average length, width and thickness of the finished honeycombs built by Italian bee colonies and Chinese bee colonies using Chinese bee hive foundation frames for 4+24 hours were 41.79±0.02cm, 19.60±0.03cm and 12.20±0.17mm respectively. The data distribution characteristics showed that the actual construction length of 72.73% of the honeycombs was greater than the average length, the actual construction width of 54.55% of the honeycombs was greater than the average width, and the actual construction thickness of 50% of the honeycombs was ≥ the average thickness. Figure 12 As shown in A, 12B, and 12C.

[0050] 2.3 Nest construction rate

[0051] The average number of cells and the cell construction rate of the honeycomb constructed by the Chinese honeybee colony using the honeycomb foundation frame 28 hours later were 5540±652.7 and 64.97±7.66%, respectively. The data distribution characteristics showed that the number of cells in 53.85% of the honeycombs was greater than the average number or construction rate. Figure 12 D, as shown in 12E.

[0052] The average number of cells and the cell construction rate of the semi-finished honeycombs built by the Italian bee colony using the Chinese honeycomb foundation frame after 4 hours were 7703±255.3 and 90.35±2.99%, respectively. The data distribution characteristics showed that 68.18% of the honeycombs had a greater number of cells than the average or the construction rate, and 40.91% of the honeycombs had a number of cells reaching 8526 or a construction rate of 100% (the number of effective cell bases of the foundation frame was 8526). Figure 12 D, as shown in 12E.

[0053] The average number of cells and the cell construction rate of the finished honeycombs built by Italian bee colonies and Chinese bee colonies using Chinese bee honeycomb foundation frames for 4+24 hours were 8451±29.07 and 99.12±0.34% respectively. The data distribution characteristics showed that 68.18% of the honeycombs had more cells than the average number or construction rate, and 63.64% of the honeycombs had more cells than the average number or construction rate, or 8526 cells or a construction rate of 100%. Figure 12 D, as shown in 12E.

[0054] Italian bee colonies and Chinese bee colonies use Chinese bee nest frames to build 4+24 hour honeycombs (N comb=22) was significantly higher than the honeycomb (N) built 28 hours later using the honeycomb frame. comb =13) (Welch's t-test, t = 4.456, df = 12.05, P = 0.0008), as Figure 12 As shown in F.

[0055] 2.4 Comparison of nest cell sizes

[0056] The diameters of the cells at three different directions (0°, 60°, and 120°) constructed by the Chinese honeybee colony using the Chinese honeybee hive frame 28 hours later were significantly different (One-way ANOVA, F = 210.6; df = 2,1077; P < 0.0001). Tukey's multiple comparison results showed that the average diameter d1 of the cells at 0° (4.76 ± 0.004 mm, N cell =360) is significantly larger than the average diameter d2 (4.68±0.004mm, N cell =360, P < 0.0001), the average diameter d3 at 120° (4.67 ± 0.003 mm, N cell =360, P < 0.0001), while there was no significant difference between the average diameter d2 at 60° and the average diameter d3 at 120° (P = 0.1249). Figure 13 As shown in A.

[0057] There were significant differences in the diameters of the cells at three different directions (0°, 60°, and 120°) after 4+24 hours of relay construction between Italian and Chinese honeybee colonies using Chinese honeybee hive frames (Welch's ANOVA test, W=87.19; df=2,711.5; P<0.0001). The results of Games-Howell multiple comparison showed that the average diameter d1 of the cells at 0° (4.81±0.005mm, N cell =360) is significantly larger than the average diameter d2 (4.73±0.005mm, N cell =360, P < 0.0001), the average diameter d3 at 120° (4.71 ± 0.006 mm, N cell =360, P < 0.0001), while there was no significant difference between the average diameter d2 at 60° and the average diameter d3 at 120° (P = 0.1104). Figure 13 As shown in B.

[0058] The average diameter of the cells of the honeycombs built by Italian bee colonies and Chinese bee colonies using the Chinese bee honeycomb frame for 4+24 hours (4.75±0.004mm, N cell=360) was significantly larger than the average diameter of the honeycomb cells built by the honeybee colony using the honeybee honeycomb frame for 28 hours (4.70±0.002mm, N cell =360, Welch's t-test, t=9.372, df=546.7, P<0.0001), such as Figure 13 As shown in C.

[0059] The average depth of the cells of the honeycombs built by Italian and Chinese honeybee colonies using the Chinese honeybee foundation frame for 4+24 hours (7.11±0.040mm, N cell =360) was significantly greater than the average depth of the honeycomb cells built by the honeybee colony using the honeybee foundation frame for 28 hours (5.74±0.026mm, N cell =360, Welch's t-test, t=28.57, df=611.7, P<0.0001), such as Figure 13 As shown in D.

[0060] Finally, it should be noted that the above preferred embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not limiting. Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes can be made in form and details without departing from the scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for increasing the honeycomb production rate of a honeybee movable frame with a foundation, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1, select Chinese honey bees and Italian honey bees with good colony status and queen bees laying eggs normally, and raise them in beehives; S2, at sunset, add a honeycomb frame with a medium honeycomb foundation to the hive of the Italian bee colony and feed the Italian bee colony with syrup; after the Italian bees build a semi-finished honeycomb, remove the semi-finished honeycomb; the time it takes for the Italian bees to build a honeycomb is 4-6 hours from the time the honeycomb foundation frame is added; S3, the semi-finished honeycombs taken out from the Italian bee hive are added into the hive of the Chinese bee colony for the Chinese bee colony to relay the construction of honeycombs, feed the Chinese bee colony with syrup, and the Chinese bee colony completes the honeycomb construction; the Chinese bee honeycomb construction time is 22-26 hours from the start of adding the semi-finished honeycombs.

2. A method for improving the honeycomb production rate of honeybees according to claim 1, characterized in that: The beehives are all Lang's standard beehives. Each beehive of the Chinese bee colony is equipped with 4 honeycombs, and each honeycomb is crawling with adult worker bees; the beehive of each Italian bee colony consists of a hive and a super. There are 10 honeycombs in the hive and 6 honeycombs in the super, and each honeycomb is crawling with adult worker bees.

3. A method for improving the honeycomb production rate of honeybees according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the steps S2 and S3, the amount of syrup fed is: 1 kg of syrup with a sucrose content of 50%.

4. A method for improving the honeycomb production rate of honeybees according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step S2, the time for Italian bees to build the honeycomb is 4 hours from the time the foundation frame is added.

5. A method for improving the honeycomb production rate of honeybees according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step S3, the honeycomb making time of the Chinese bees is 24 hours from the time the semi-finished honeycomb is added.

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