# drone seaman storage



## jdittemore (May 31, 2009)

Has anyone come up with a way to store drone seaman for say 6 months? So you can use it to artificially inseminate queens in say April?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I'm sure that someone has perfected storage of drone semen. Are you going to do some instrumental insemenation?


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

The problem is poor viability after thawing from storage. 

July 2009, Bee Culture: Clarence Collison.

_"Evidence supports cold storage of semen over room temperature or bee temperature (35ºC) for better viability of sperm, but honey bee semen does not freeze as well as that of other organisms. One of the biggest obstacles to cryopreservation of drone semen has been high post-thaw mortality of spermatozoa. Taylor et al. (2009) have been developing a method of cryopreservation that has thus far produced a post-thaw sperm viability of greater than 60% for three strains of honey bees. The quality of thawed sperm has yet to be assessed in artificial insemination trials, as little information is available regarding the effect of long-term in vitro cryopreservation of sperm on its fertility. If this technique proves successful in producing viable workers and reproductive queens through instrumental insemination, it will encourage the shipment of drone semen to queen breeders and increase the genetic diversity of their breeding stock."_
_> http://www.beeculturemagazine.net/storycms/index.cfm?cat=Story&recordID=657_

_> _November 2009: 
Abstract
_"This report is about cryopreservation of honey bee semen. There has been little advancement of this technology over the past 20 years." > http://www.apidologie.org/index.php...ess=doi&doi=10.1051/apido/20010006&Itemid=129_

_> "... many researchers (Novak et al., 1960; Poole and Taber, 1969; 1970; Camargo, 1975; Verma, 1978; Moritz, 1983; Harbo, 1986; Collins, 2000) have attempted to develop efficient methods for the in vitro storage of semen using different kinds of diluents with physical and chemical properties that allow them to be used as an effective culture media for spermatozoa survival."_
> "_Among culture media tested, the coconut water (Cocos nucifera L.) presents a rich nutrient composition."_
_> http://www.scielo.org.ve/scielo.php?pid=S0378-18442002000600008&script=sci_arttext_


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## jdittemore (May 31, 2009)

"Are you going to do some instrumental insemenation?"

Yes I am looking into it. I think hyper insemination is the way to go and not inseminating with just a few drones.

I am looking to build my own equipment to do this.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Is that what it is called? Hyper insemination? I didn't know that.

From what I have heard and read, that is what you want to do, mate the queen w/ as many drones as she will. But, is that what people who do II do? I thought that they just took semen from many drones from one hive. Seems more convenient for the harvester of the semen.

Do you have access to more than one kind of bee, so you can get a variety of semen samples of different strains?


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

Most II is 10-20 drones... up to X amount...

Then you homoginize it? ((Mix it up))

Then you inject the queen after knocking her out with co2 and opening her up with a stinger hook.

Everything I've read and seen, the semen has to be fresh... 

i.e. 20 drones sitting on your desk ready to give their life up per queen.

II queen video.
http://mkat.iwf.de/mms/metafiles/02000017460220000000_lo.asx

As for making your own equipment. Not knowing your abilities, I'd say it's doable. You have to keep everything clean though..


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## Walliebee (Nov 17, 2006)

Great video! Thanks for sharing. Best of luck.


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## Jam (Jun 17, 2010)

That was a very interesting video!


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## beekuk (Dec 31, 2008)

sqkcrk said:


> I'm sure that someone has perfected storage of drone semen. Are you going to do some instrumental insemenation?


 Perhaps rrussell6870 would be good enough to advise on the best methods to freeze drone semen, so as to keep it viable.
I see he does use frozen semen from one of his posts on another thread.

*>>Our English Buckfast come from frozen semen that we use to II breeders.<<*

Plus i would be interested in who supply's this frozen Buckfast drone semen.


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

Another thought along this line if you could figure out how to get a few hives to raise late drones and that would carry the drones through the winter time. This would let you do a few early II Queens.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

Become friends with a beekeeper in Florida/Texas/So. Cal. who will catch a bunch of mature drones from good stock, and have him overnight you a cage of drones when you are ready to inseminate.


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## jdittemore (May 31, 2009)

I am looking into trapping the drones in late season when the hives are driving them out and milking them for the semen and store it.

The trick is to rear Indiana queens and drones. I personaly don't want drones from the South. The chance of getting AHB in your drones is one of the big reasons I am looking into doing this at all


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

LOL!! You need a lot more reading time before you jump off this cliff!


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Now this is a good thread!

First off... frozen semen is extremely difficult to keep viable due to complications during defrosting.... I would highly recommend that you simply acquire a few queens from stock that tolerate drones through the winter... or study your own colonies to see if you may already have a few...

You don't have to worry so much about getting AHB drones... if you are dealing with a notable breeder, the drones that they send you will be from queens that they know very well... 

Sorry Pete, can't let out that secret... if my supplier figured out how much other breeders would pay him... I would be in a price war. Lol.

I am interested in your plans to construct your own II equipment... there are not too many on the market and I would love to see a few more producers out there...

Good luck!


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

They are still experimenting with ways to store drone sperm, As a couple others mentioned, they haven't figured it out yet.


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## beekuk (Dec 31, 2008)

KQ6AR said:


> They are still experimenting with ways to store drone sperm, As a couple others mentioned, they haven't figured it out yet.


 I agree,from what i read this is true,especially regards freezing.


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