INSTRUMENTAL INSEMINATION
What is the artificial or instrumental insemination of honey bee queens?
It is a procedure that involves collecting semen from selected drones and then injecting it into the oviduct of the queen bee. This process is performed in breeding to maintain full control over the paternal side of the reproductive process.
Beyond breeding programs, inseminated queens are also used in honey-producing apiaries. Insemination allows for the creation of proven and predictable inter-line or inter-breed crosses, resulting in a clear heterosis effect (hybrid vigor).
We offer professional queen insemination services. We hold official certifications for the artificial insemination of honey bee queens, in compliance with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
If you are interested, please contact us.
We provide instrumental insemination services using either the client’s own material or drones and queen bees from the Smoleń Breeding Apiary. We perform insemination exclusively using semen from honey bee subspecies approved for breeding in Poland (under the Act of December 10, 2020, on the organization of breeding and reproduction of livestock).
Upon prior appointment, queens should be delivered at the age of 6 to 9 days in cages provided with an attendant of approximately 10 young worker bees.
Drones for insemination should be 16 to 20 days old, in quantities of 20–25 drones per queen. Please deliver the drones together with young worker bees, preferably in a queenless nucleus colony.
We perform insemination exclusively using fresh semen collected during the procedure. We offer either a single-dose insemination of 8 microliters or a double-dose procedure (two doses of 4 microliters each, administered 48 hours apart).