The uterus is the only female in the family capable of laying eggs. Its main distinguishing feature is the presence of reproductive organs. It is the quality of the uterus that determines the performance of the hives, and therefore the profitability of the apiary. There are several types of such bees. In this case, the uterus can be removed both artificially and naturally.
Family role
The main indicator of the quality of the uterus is the number of eggs laid by it. The bee family will be strong or weak, and how much honey it will collect in the summer period will directly depend on this factor. Only those who lay at least 2,000 eggs per day are considered good queen beehives. When choosing a uterus, first of all (in addition to the breed) pay attention to its size. It is believed that the greater the weight of such a bee, the better its ovaries are developed. The uterine performance is also usually affected by the length of its abdomen. The higher this indicator, the better.
Unlike working individuals, the queen bee lives (a photo of it can be seen in the article) for a very long time - up to 5 years. However, in the hives of the queens they usually leave no more than 2 years. The fact is that due to intensive masonry, the uterine ovaries very quickly deplete, as a result of which they greatly lose productivity.
The difference between the uterus and other bees
Only one queen bee usually lays eggs in the hive. But sometimes there are two or three. Such bees differ from workers primarily in their great weight. In this case, the wings of the uterus usually have the same dimensions as that of ordinary bees. The queen can lay eggs both fertilized and unfertilized. In the first case, working individuals are derived from them, in the second - drones.
The main habitat of such bees is the hive. His uterus leaves it extremely rarely - only in the spring during mating or during swarming. In the hive, the queen is always accompanied by a "retinue" - several working bees. These individuals are exempted from collecting nectar. Their main task is to feed the uterus with milk and protect it. For food, the Queen takes small breaks in laying eggs every half hour.
What are the breeds of bees
The most popular varieties of bees in the post-Soviet space are:
- Central Russian;
- backfast;
- Carpathian.
Select a specific breed should be taking into account the climatic indicators of this particular area. In addition, it is worth considering the characteristics of the variety in terms of honey collection.
Central Russian bee
The queen bees of this breed are usually chosen by beekeepers in many regions of Russia. The main advantages of the Central Russian bee are unpretentiousness, resistance to diseases, high productivity and immunity to low temperatures. However, when deciding to purchase just such queen bees for an apiary, it is worth bearing in mind that nectar of this breed is collected only from flowers of one particular species. The Central Russian queen bee weighs about 210 mg.
Bee fast food
Families of this breed are also highly productive. They are bred mainly in Ukraine and Belarus. Bacfast uterus is capable of laying just a huge number of eggs, and therefore such colonies never lack working individuals. It is advisable to plant bees of this breed, including when honey collection is far from the apiary. Buckfast working individuals in search of nectar can fly very far. The disadvantage of this breed is mainly considered only instability to cold. In the northern latitudes and even in the middle zone of Russia, the successful breeding of the species of buckfast will hardly be.
The uterus of this breed can weigh up to 260 mg. Despite the instability to low temperatures, buckfast is considered the best bee variety to date.
Carpathian bees
This breed is bred mainly in Ukraine in the foothills of the Carpathians. The main distinguishing feature of such a species as the Carpathian bee is its adaptability to short summers and frequent rains. Frosty winters, these families also tolerate well. The uterus of the Carpathian bee lays eggs, including in the fall. And therefore, in winter, families leave rather big. The weight of the uterus of this breed can reach up to 205 mg.
What are queens
Whatever variety the beekeepers breed, whether it is a Carpathian bee, Central Russian, backfast or any other, the uterus in the hive must be changed sooner or later. Such bees can be hatched both naturally and artificially.
In the first case, the bees themselves build a special mother liquor. In this case, the egg is laid in the cell, the usual fertilized. In order for the queen to develop later in the outgoing larva, the bees feed it exclusively with royal jelly. This product contains special hormones that promote the development of the reproductive organs of the individual.
Three main types of uterus can be naturally derived:
- Silent shift . The uterus of this species appears most often in hives with an old queen, unable to lay many eggs anymore. In this case, the working individuals build 2-3 mother liquors. The old queen lays eggs in them, and the bees fill the cells with milk. As a result, new uterus are excreted.
- Swarm . Such queens come out in spring from queen cells built by bees at the bottom of the frames. A new individual capable of laying eggs remains in the hive, and the old leaves it with the swarm.
In order to quickly distinguish the queen from ordinary working individuals, beekeepers use a special marker for queen bees. With the help of such a tool, a bright mark that does not fade in the sun can be put on the queen of the hive.
Swarm uterus and individuals of a quiet shift are considered the highest quality. Fistulous can also be quite prolific, but in terms of productivity these two varieties are usually still slightly inferior.
Whatever way the uterus is bred by bees, immediately after the exit, it begins to look for rivals to fight them. In the end, only one, the strongest queen bee remains in the hive. Two uterus can coexist peacefully in one family only when withdrawing by silent shift. In this case, the old individual lays eggs at the same time as the young for a while, and then the bees kill it.
How to deduce
Artificially, the uterus of Bakfast, Central Russian, Carpathian (and any others) are usually derived using this technology:
- The uterus and the entire open brood are removed from the family. Only one honeycomb with young larvae and eggs is left in the hive.
- To output individuals that are able to lay eggs, it is cut from below.
- A few days later, the laid queen cells are cut out and laid out along the hives, and the old queen is returned to the family.
Immediately a large number of female eggs capable of laying eggs can be obtained by the method of transferring to bowls. This is a rather complicated technology, and it is mainly used only in large beekeeping farms. In this case, the larvae are transferred to pre-made wax bowls artificially and fed with milk. Thus obtained uterus are considered the highest quality.
Drone uterus
Sometimes it happens that the bee queen of the hive begins to lay only unfertilized eggs in the cells of the cells, from which drones are subsequently hatched. The reasons for the appearance of such a uterus in the family can be different:
- bad weather, due to which there was no overflown;
- spoilage of wings;
- early appearance of the uterus (before drones).
For all these reasons, the bee queen of the hive may simply remain unfertilized. Sometimes the old good uterus also becomes a drone. This happens due to exhaustion of the ovaries of the individual, the death of sperm or damage to the seed. The drone uterus, of course, needs to be replaced. Otherwise, the bee family will simply die.
Uterus replanting
If the old uterus is removed from the hive, after some time the bees will begin to withdraw the new one. However, waiting for the appearance of another queen in a natural way is not necessary. You can write a uterus from a special hatchery. In this case, the new queen of the hive will be guaranteed quality. The uterus is planted in the family, usually with the help of a special cell. The acquired individual is placed in it and set into the hive. In this case, the old uterus is previously removed. Bees who feel orphaned usually easily accept the new queen.