Honey Bee Insemination Service

The Instrument
	The basic instrument consists of a supporting stand, a queen holder assembly, a set of hooks or forceps and a syringe. A heavy base is desirable so that the instrument is steady. The operation consists of collecting semen from drones into a syringe. The queen is anaesthetized, placed in a holding tube and her vaginal chamber opened with a pair of hooks or forceps. A measured amount of semen is injected directly into the oviducts. Today, the use of a perforated sting hook or forceps ( free hand or mounted designs) has replaced the classic "spoon shaped" sting hook. These are easier to use because the sting structure is lifted and the vaginal cavity exposed which increases the ease of bypassing the valve-fold.
Modern instrument designs employ the use of micro-manipulators, providing a wide range of very fine and precise movements of the hooks and syringe. These improvements have made the technique easier to learn and provide consistency in the repeatability of the procedure.

The basic instrument consists of a supporting stand, a queen holder assembly, a set of hooks or forceps and a syringe. A heavy base is desirable so that the instrument is steady. The operation consists of collecting semen from drones into a syringe. The queen is anaesthetized, placed in a holding tube and her vaginal chamber opened with a pair of hooks or forceps. A measured amount of semen is injected directly into the oviducts.

Today, the use of a perforated sting hook or forceps ( free hand or mounted designs) has replaced the classic "spoon shaped" sting hook. These are easier to use because the sting structure is lifted and the vaginal cavity exposed which increases the ease of bypassing the valve-fold.