Method for controlling mites by cutting off seeds without influencing reproduction

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of beekeeping, and relates to a method for controlling mites without affecting reproduction by means of budding, which comprises the following steps of: dividing a bee colony into two parts: after most bees are homed in the evening, lifting all non-budded honeycombs with bees and queen bees out of another beehive, transferring to a new site outside 15 kilometers at the evening, and numbering and marking the beehives; management and grouping: adding sufficient sealed honey combs into the groups, feeding pollen on frame beams, and extracting redundant empty combs. And controlling mites in a new field, namely controlling mites on the bee colony in the new field by using a formic acid aqueous solution, spraying the mites on the bee and the beehive wall once every other day, totally 3 times, and finishing the process before noon. According to the method, the breeding speed of the bee colony is not influenced under the condition of thoroughly controlling the mites by breaking the bees, the breeding of the bee colony and the control of the mites by breaking the bees are neglected, the colony potential of the bee colony is increased, and the yield of bee products in the next stage is improved, so that the economic benefit is improved. The queen bees which fail to mate and are lost can be replaced by the old queen bees at any time, so that sufficient queen bees can be kept in a bee farm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of beekeeping, and in particular relates to a method for killing off offspring and treating mites without affecting reproduction. Background Art

[0002] As an important pollinating insect, bees are of great significance in pollinating crops, increasing yields and maintaining ecological balance. The bee products they produce also serve people's life, health and medical fields. The beekeeping industry has become an indispensable part of agriculture.

[0003] The Varroa destructor mite is a major parasite of honey bees, causing wing loss, shortened lifespan, and even failure to emerge. It is also a vector of various viruses and a major factor in colony collapse syndrome, causing significant losses to the beekeeping industry. Because most Varroa destructors inhabit the capping chamber, only sterilization during the barren period can completely eliminate the mite and minimize its population. Therefore, sterilization during this period is a crucial step in year-round beekeeping. Currently, almost all apiaries primarily utilize sterilization during this period to control Varroa destructor mites.

[0004] However, traditional methods of preventing brooding during the barren period to control mites require the queen bee to stop laying eggs for 13 to 21 days. During hot weather, colony strength declines rapidly. For bee farms that migrate to new locations, this can severely impact production and revenue at their next nectar source. For bee farms that have a fixed location, this can severely impact autumn breeding and overwintering colony strength, indirectly impacting the following spring breeding and nectar revenue. Therefore, developing a method for preventing brooding that doesn't affect reproduction is crucial. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for treating mites by cutting off offspring without affecting reproduction, thereby solving the problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] A method for treating mites by cutting off offspring without affecting reproduction, comprising the following steps:

[0008] Split the bee colony into two: After most of the bees have returned to the hive in the evening, take all the non-brood combs with bees and the queen bee to another beehive, and move it to a new site 15 kilometers away that night, and mark the beehives with numbers;

[0009] Manage the clusters: Add sufficient capped honeycombs and frame beams to the clusters to feed pollen, and remove excess empty combs.

[0010] Treatment of mites in new bee colonies: Use formic acid solution to treat mites in new bee colonies. Spray the bees and the walls of the beehives once every other day for a total of 3 times, and complete before noon.

[0011] Treatment at the original site: Install queen cells that are about to emerge in the original bee colony and set up markers at the nest entrance;

[0012] On-site mite control and feeding: Starting from the 10th day after the virgin queen emerges, use formic acid solution to treat mites once every other day, and feed sufficient pollen at the same time;

[0013] Bee colony merging: When the virgin queen in the original site mates successfully and the first generation of offspring emerges, the bee colony in the new site is merged with the same bee colony in the original site by smoke spraying. The queen bee of the bee colony in the new site is removed one day before the merger.

[0014] Preferably, the number marking is to use the same number but different colors to mark the beehives for the same box cluster.

[0015] Preferably, the purpose of adding capped honey combs and feeding pollen is to limit the queen bee's egg-laying by capping the honey combs, thereby avoiding insufficient feeding capacity of the bee colony.

[0016] Preferably, the marker provided at the entrance of the original nest site is a color or shape marker to increase the success rate of mating of virgin queens.

[0017] Preferably, the queen bee in the new site is removed one day before the merging of the bee colonies, either by direct removal or confinement.

[0018] Preferably, the concentration of the formic acid aqueous solution is 30%-50%, and when treating mites, it is evenly sprayed on the surface of the bees and the inner wall of the beehive to moisten them.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention can completely eliminate brood and treat mites without affecting the reproduction rate of the bee colony, thus achieving both bee colony reproduction and brood elimination and treatment of mites, increasing the strength of the bee colony, and improving the yield of bee products in the next stage, thereby improving economic benefits. The virgin queens that have failed to mate or are lost can be replaced with old queens at any time, so that the apiary can maintain a sufficient supply of queens. Compared with the traditional method of eliminating brood and treating mites in the same bee colony and the same site, the "one bee colony, two sites, staged mites treatment" method of eliminating brood and treating mites of the present invention not only thoroughly treats mites, but also maintains the strength of the bee colony, improves the utilization rate of the nectar and pollen source in the next stage, can significantly increase the income of beekeepers, and has broad prospects for market promotion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will be a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] The present invention is a method for treating mites by cutting off offspring without affecting reproduction, comprising the following steps:

[0022] Split the colony in two: After most bees have returned to the hive in the evening, remove all non-brood combs, including the queen, and move them to another hive. That same night, move the hives to a site 15 kilometers away. Number the hives to identify which are split from the same hive. Splits from the same hive are marked with the same number but different colors.

[0023] For the separated bee colonies without brood combs, add sufficient capped honey combs and frame beams to feed pollen, take out the excess empty combs, and limit egg laying by capping the honey combs to avoid insufficient feeding capacity.

[0024] Use formic acid solution to treat mites in the new bees. Spray the bees and the walls of the beehives three times in total, once every other day. Try to complete the mite treatment process before noon.

[0025] Install queen cells that are about to emerge on all the bees in the original site and install markers at the entrance of the nest to increase the success rate of mating.

[0026] On the 10th day after the virgin queen emerges, spray formic acid solution to control mites once every other day, and feed her with sufficient pollen at the same time.

[0027] When the virgin queen in the original site successfully mates and the first generation of offspring emerges, the bee colony moved to the new site will be merged with the same colony in the original site by spraying smoke. The queens of all bee colonies in the new site will be removed the day before the merger.

[0028] The specific embodiments are as follows:

[0029] Implementation Case 1

[0030] Mr. Wu from Huangshan, Anhui, travels annually to Shijiazhuang, Hebei, to collect vitex nectar and harvest royal jelly year-round. Before 2018, he traditionally used the method of removing the queen bee and replacing it with a new one around June 20th, during the late vitex season in Shijiazhuang. After the treatment, however, the colony's health declined significantly, forcing him to stop harvesting royal jelly until around September 10th. Since 2018, he has strictly followed the present invention's method of cutting off brood and treating mites, which utilizes a "one colony, two sites, staged treatment" method. He has been able to resume royal jelly harvesting around August 15th, 25 days earlier than with the traditional method. Mr. Wu's apiary harvests an average of 10 kilograms of royal jelly per day. This method, which utilizes the present invention's method of cutting off brood and treating mites, allows him to simultaneously achieve both breeding and cutting off brood and treating mites, resulting in an annual increase in royal jelly production of approximately 250 kilograms.

[0031] Implementation Case 2

[0032] Liu Moumou is a beekeeper in Pingshan County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. Before 2020, he also adopted the traditional method of shutting down the queen bee and replacing the queen bee to treat mites. He treated mites according to the traditional method of cutting off brood and treating mites on June 25th every year. After the treatment was completed every year, the colony strength was only about 3 honeycombs. Until August 25th when the local Lala rice seedlings bloomed, there were still only 3 honeycombs. Therefore, the entire Lala rice seedlings flowering period was full of reproduction and unable to shed pollen. Moreover, the overwintering colony strength was weak with only 4 to 5 honeycombs. Since 2020, the method of the present invention, i.e., the "one bee colony, two sites, staged mite treatment" method of cutting off brood and treating mites, has been used. During the flowering period of the Lala rice seedlings, 6-7 honeycombs of bees have been achieved. In 2020, each colony produced 5 to 10 kilograms of Lala rice seedling pollen, and the number of overwintering bees reached 7 honeycombs. This not only increased the pollen production during the flowering period of the Lala rice seedlings, but also made the overwintering bee colony unprecedentedly strong, laying the foundation for the spring breeding and the harvest of spring nectar sources in the following year.

[0033] Throughout the specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "example," or "specific example" indicate that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with that embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, schematic representations of these terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0034] The above content is merely an example and explanation of the concept of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications or additions to the described specific embodiments or replace them in a similar manner. As long as they do not deviate from the concept of the invention or exceed the scope defined by the claims, they should all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for treating mites by cutting off offspring without affecting reproduction, characterized by: The following steps are involved: Split the bee colony into two: After most of the bees have returned to the hive in the evening, take all the non-brood combs with bees and the queen bee to another beehive, and move it to a new site 15 kilometers away that night, and mark the beehives with numbers; Manage the clusters: Add sufficient capped honeycombs and frame beams to the clusters to feed pollen, and remove excess empty combs. Treatment of mites in new bee colonies: Use formic acid solution to treat mites in new bee colonies. Spray the bees and the walls of the beehives once every other day for a total of 3 times, and complete before noon. Treatment at the original site: Install queen cells that are about to emerge in the original bee colony and set up markers at the nest entrance; On-site mite control and feeding: Starting from the 10th day after the virgin queen emerges, use formic acid solution to treat mites once every other day, and feed sufficient pollen at the same time; Bee colony merging: When the virgin queen in the original site mates successfully and the first generation of offspring emerges, the bee colony in the new site is merged with the same bee colony in the original site by smoke spraying. The queen bee of the bee colony in the new site is removed one day before the merger.

2. The method for treating mites without affecting reproduction according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number marking is to use the same number and different colors to mark the beehives for the same box cluster.

3. The method for treating mites without affecting reproduction according to claim 1, characterized in that: The purpose of adding the capped honey combs and feeding pollen is to limit the queen bee's egg-laying by capping the honey combs, thereby avoiding insufficient feeding capacity of the bee colony.

4. The method for treating mites without affecting reproduction according to claim 1, characterized in that: The markers set at the entrance of the original nest are color or shape markers to increase the success rate of mating of virgin queens.

5. The method for treating mites without affecting reproduction according to claim 1, characterized in that: The time for removing the queen bee from the new site before the bee colony is 1 day before the merger, and the method is direct removal or confinement.

6. The method for treating mites without affecting reproduction according to claim 1, characterized in that: The concentration of the formic acid aqueous solution is 30%-50%. When treating mites, it is evenly sprayed on the surface of the bees and the inner wall of the beehive to moisten them.